Woven Webs of Past Mistakes
by Delcesca Newby
Summary: You're the reason the twelfth god isn't here and why all the others are weak. You destroyed the Council of Power. How's that feel?" I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT! OOC & AU. Chapter 37 is up. Discontinued
1. Close Encounters

**Hey, everyone! This is my second fanfic, and almost all the Twilight characters are in it, but it has a Greek mythology twist. I hope that you enjoy it, and please r&r. pwease!  
**

"Bella! Get up!" Demeter's hushed whispered rang through my quiet room. It woke me out of my peaceful slumber, and I sat up with a start. I squinted in the hazy light of the candle that my guardian held before her.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice sounding groggy from sleep. I looked over at the alarm clock on my nightstand. It was just past two in the morning. What could Demeter possibly want? I had school in the morning. What could be so important that she would disturb me so late at night, or early in the morning (depending on which you preferred)? Had Hestia dropped in for another one of her random visits? She loved getting away from Mount Olympus as much as she could, and always had to come to Earth to see Demeter. And she seemed to always get the itch for a vacation at night. I adored her to death, but sometimes she could really get on my nerves.

"The Volturi have found us." Demeter breathed. I felt my blood run cold at that. I swallowed hard. Oh, no. Not again.

"How much time do we have?" I was wide awake now. Her words had awoken my brain with a terrible fright. I threw back my cotton comforter and jumped out of bed; my bare feet landing on the cold floor, but I took no notice of it.

"Hermes just informed me that Aro has sent Alec after us. I would say we have ten minutes, if that." Demeter told me. She sounded so scared. I couldn't blame her. The Volturi were horrible, and had been chasing us for the past two thousand years. They never gave us any rest. We had to move every couple of months or so because they always seemed to find where we were hiding. It didn't help us any that the vampires were growing in their numbers, and that made it easier for them to find us. I hated it, and I hated them. They were disgusting creatures made by Cronus to be the death of those that had imprisoned him in Tarturus. And I had the luck of living with one of the main six that had done so.

"Damn." I cried. I ran to my open closet and grabbed a small carryon bag; not even bothering to turn on the lights. That would take up too much time. Time that I didn't have. I began to stuff a few of the necessities into it. I had been through this drill a million times, and knew that too much stuff would slow us down. I put in the bag my journal, a spare change of clothes, and some money from the top of my dresser. That was all that was needed. Then I quickly put on a pair of flip-flops and my jean jacket over my frilly pajama top.

"Come now!" Demeter told me as she came back to my room; a bag of her own was on her back. I glanced one last time at the dark room that I had grown so used to, and felt tears well up in my eyes. Couldn't I be like most people? Couldn't I have a place to call my own, and not have to worry about when our cover would be blown and have to leave? Was that too much to ask for? Did the Fates ever hear my pleas? Did they care? "Bella, we can't linger any longer."

"I-I know." I said, and then wiped the single tear that had fallen down my cheek. I took a deep breath, and with Demeter, walked out of one of the few homes that ever to feel like a safe haven. How wrong I had been to believe that any place would ever be safe for us. It was just a foolish dream. Everywhere we went we ran into vampires. I would never find a place to call home. Not by being a god. I was cursed to run. Damn Cronus! I hoped he was being tortured horribly in Tarturus. He deserved it. That bastard.

We hurried into the black abyss of night, hoping that the stars wouldn't shine down on us. We needed as much cover as we could get, and though vampires could see as well in daylight as at night, it still helped to have that cloak enveloping us. We scurried down the streets of Venice, me following tightly behind Demeter. I didn't want to get separated from her. By now Alec must have reached our empty house, finding it empty. He would be on our trail in a matter of minutes if not seconds, and we would be done for. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. He was getting close. I shuddered inside of my jacket.

"Don't worry, Bella." Demeter whispered to me. I could barely hear her. "I promised that no harm would ever be brought to you, and I'm not going to let that vow get broken tonight."

"Filling her head with pretty lies, are you?" A voice sneered from behind me. We both stopped and turned to view the small, dreaded figure before us. Demeter stepped in front of me, shielding me from Alec. He laughed, his childlike voice ringing throughout the deserted street. I gulped. It sent shivers down my spine. "Do you really think that you could stop me from taking her?"

"I know that I could." Demeter growled back. A loud crackle filled the air, and in a blink of an eye Demeter was holding a lightening bolt in her hand. It sizzled with anger; making the immediate area around the three of us light up with an electric blue. Alec smiled with humor.

"Go ahead. Hit me." He challenged her. Demeter hesitated. I stared at her. What was she waiting for? Yes, the lightening bolt wouldn't kill Alec, but it would buy us some to time to run. We could think of a plan to get out of Italy later in a place far away from here.

"Demeter…" I moaned. Alec laughed again, this time taking a step closer to us. Demeter stood her ground. "Throw it."

"I need your help." Demeter told me.

"She's just a child, what can she do?" Alec asked. I glared at him. Did he not remember what I had done to his sister last time the Volturi had found us? I had fucked her up big time. And I was willing to do the same to the little ass before me, though it would cost me big time. I wasn't an adult god yet, which meant that each time that I used my power it would drain most of the energy from me. I risked death every time I did it, though it would be worth it if it meant that Demeter and I would get away.

"OK." I nodded. I stepped back from her, and spread out my hands. I focused my mind on Alec and with my thoughts willed the power inside of me to hold him in place. I felt warmth start to spread through my body, and couldn't help but be overjoyed about what I was doing. I was using a psychic hold on him, one which Alec wouldn't be able to break himself. It would hold him in place until another vampire came along and broke him from it. It would cause him great agony, like a thousand hot pokers searing his brain all at the same time, and he wouldn't be able to function right for a couple of weeks. I kept him in my sight, and smiled as he realized what I was doing to him. His eyes got wide, and his mouth hung open as if to say oh. A small cry fell from his lips, and then he was silent. I let the power come back into me.

"Not so fast." Demeter warned. I nodded, but it was too late. The power was coursing through my veins, and I had no control over it. I wanted to scream out in fright. This was not good. Not good at all. I attempted to restrain it, but the power had a mind of its own. I was at its mercy.

"Demeter, help." I said, my breathing labored. Sweat was starting to run down my back.

"Oh, Bella." Demeter said, and placed the palm of her hand to the top of my forehead. Instantly the power calmed down, but left me weak. I stumbled forward, and Demeter caught me in her arms. "You did good, baby. Thank you."

"Yes…welcome…"I mumbled, and seconds later I let my fatigue fall on my mind like a velvet curtain. In no time at all I was sleeping soundly.


	2. Swans For Awhile

**Thank all of you that have read and reviewed my story so far. I'm really glad that you've liked what I've written. It makes me feel so special. I actually did a small dance because of the three reviews that I've gotten. I LOVE THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE DONE SO!!! And I love all of you that have read this. Thank you again. LoL. Well, here's my next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and sorry. I just revised it so I hope that all of you that have already read it don't mind. Sorry...  
**

I don't know how long I was asleep for. All I know is that when I finally opened my eyes it was day out, overcast but day. I moved my arm and found that I was sprawled out on something cushioned. I sat up, feeling my stomach lurch from the sudden movement. I had to stop myself from gagging as I examined things before me. I was in something moving. A car, I think, and it was bopping along the road at a good pace. I looked out the window, and was disappointed that the passing trees gave no hints to where I was at. It was all forest. I could be anywhere in the world, but at least I was alive. "Demeter?" I asked, not dropping my gaze from the endless sight of green trees outside of the car. I didn't have to see her to know that she was the one driving. I had been with her for so long that I could just sense her presence.

"Yes?"

"Where are we?" I quizzed.

"North America." She told me. I sighed. She could have picked anywhere to run off to, anywhere at all, and it had to be North America. "The United States to be correct." That was even worse. The U.S.A. was crawling with vampires. Why would she travel there? Our best bet was to go to Africa. We could live with one of the local tribes. We had done it before, and it had taken Aro almost a year to find us, but that poor tribe. Because of the two of us Aro had ordered all the inhabitants to be killed ruthlessly. No one had been spared. To this day I could still hear the screams from the children. Aro was a disgusting creature, and if I ever ran into him and he wasn't surrounded by his little bodyguards, I would destroy him. Screw the fact that it might end my life in the process. He didn't deserve to walk this planet. He was a danger to not only us gods, but to humans, too. They had no right to be caught up in this brutal war. They couldn't defend themselves. They were defenseless, and the shifters created by Apollo did all that they could, but it wasn't enough. The vampires were too large in number. There was no stopping them, and that pissed me off.

"Exactly where in the United States?" _Please don't let it be in New York City or Chicago, _I prayed_._ That would be extremely stupid. I might even jump out of the car if she told me that. There was no way in Hades that I was going to put myself in that much potential danger. It was suicide. I didn't really like my life, but I did like living. And when I finally became an adult god I would do all that I could to help rid the world of the disease known as vampires.

"Washington. We're headed for Forks." She said, giving me a look that said that I was dumb to think ill of her choices. I did my best to avoid that look. It scorched me like a hot flare, making me feel ashamed of myself.

"Oh." I muttered. I had never heard of that place, and that meant that the Volturi probably hadn't either. At least not yet. Once we where there for awhile they would find us just like all the other times before. It was the same old routine. A familiar song and dance. When, if ever, would it end? "How did you find it?"

"After you passed out I sprinted as fast as I could to Athena, and she gave me what she thought was a good location for us to lie low for a bit." Demeter had her gaze on the almost empty road. It was dark and dreary outside; I guess the typical weather for Washington. I had never been to the state. I had seen it before it had become a part of the United States, but that was almost two hundred years ago. Things had probably changed. It would be nothing like I remembered it. A sad feeling clutched my heart, squeezing it tightly without a promise of letting go, but I did my best to ignore it. I was used to it. It happened every time that we showed up in a new place. It was like my birthday. There was no way that I could avoid it happening. I just had to suck it up and move on.

"Do we have a place there?" I didn't know if Athena would do that for us. We usually went to Hebe or Istra when we needed to get a new home. They were really good friends of Demeter's, and didn't mind when she asked them for the favor. Athena could be a completely different story. I had only met her twice, and neither time was on a good occasion. I think she saw me as a big nuisance to Demeter. She would be much safer without me, but each time that I suggested she leave me she would flip out and somewhere on the other side of the world some poor farmer's crops died. I tried not to bring up that touchy subject. I hated when she was mad at me.

"Yes. She planted in some old couple's mind the idea to retire and move to Florida where they have a condo. The house was up for sale in a matter of hours, and then she snagged it. Everything should be ready for us by the time that we get there."

"And how long will that be?" I asked; glad to hear the semi good news. At least we wouldn't be out on the streets like some hobos. We had a warm place to stay at.

"I would say two hours, three at the most." Demeter told me. She took a turn, and in a matter of not time we were on some dirt road. I gathered that she was taking the back way just in case we were being followed. It would make it much harder for Aro's goons to track us, though if they did find us it would be easy for them to get rid of us. No one would ever notice a random vehicle out here going missing. Every decision had its pros and cons. This one just happened to have more severe ones. "You hungry?"

"Well, I…" I said, but trailed off as my stomach growled loudly. "I guess that's a yes." Demeter laughed a little.

"There are some chips and a sandwich in the bag by your feet." She told me, nodding her head downward. I reached my hand down and pulled up a sickly yellow bag from beside me. I didn't know the name of the store printed on the front. Not that that mattered much. It was most likely a place that Demeter had stopped at along the way, some tiny convenient store run by a local or two. Inside the bag I found some salt and vinegar Pringles, my absolute favorite, and a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich on a hoagie roll.

"What? No drink?"

"Have some of my Pepsi." Demeter held out her half full bottle out to me. I took it, set it between my knees, and began to attack the food before me. I was like a wild animal. It had been two days since my last meal, and my throat burned as I chewed quickly and swallowed basically huge chunks of my lunch…dinner? I couldn't tell the exact time of the day, and I really didn't care. All that mattered to me at the moment was fueling my body with a solid substance. I was halfway done in less than five minutes, and had to stop to take a swig of Pepsi. The pop traveled over my chapped lips and down my parched esophagus. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I hated drinking soda, but it was better than nothing. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

"So what last name are we going to go under now?" I asked as I popped a Pringle into my mouth. Our current one had been Pischera, but we wouldn't be able to go by that anymore. A new home meant a new identity.

"Why don't you decide?" Demeter offered. I thought for a moment. What would sound good with my name? I can't say that I had anything against this. It was sort of fun to be able to pick what name I could go by. Gods weren't really born with a set one, so they frequently changed it. Why not add a little flavor to immortality? It could get quite boring. Humans didn't know how good they had it by being able to die of old age.

I took another sip of the Pepsi, and watched as it started to drizzle outside the car. The water splattered onto the windshield in small droplets, sounding like a faraway parade. Demeter turned on the windshield wipers. My eyes followed them as they went back and forth, back and forth. I was still trying to come up with something. I wanted to choose a last name that Demeter would like, too, though she would never tell me if she hated it. She was such a loving guardian. Persephone was lucky to have her for a mother. I wish I knew who mine was. I had been unwanted at birth, and Zeus had been planning to get rid of me. Demeter had taken pity on me, stopping him from doing so. He had agreed to let her keep me, but she wasn't allowed on Mount Olympus as long as I was her charge. That meant that she had no protection from the vampires. Only gods who lived on Mount Olympus had that. Demeter had given that all up to raise me. I owed her everything.

"Swan." I almost whispered into the silent car.

"What?" Demeter asked, turning my way.

"Swan." I repeated, choosing the animal that I loved most. I just found them to be amazing creatures full of grace, beauty, and cunning. I was none of those things, but every time that I saw one it made me feel that one day I would be able to reach that point. One day I would be all that I could be, and then maybe, just maybe, my mother would finally reveal herself to me. Maybe I would finally have the family that I was longing so much for. Yes, Demeter was an incredible person and I was beyond grateful to have her in my life, but she wasn't my mother. She would never be my mother no matter how hard she tried. She was Persephone's.

"You sure?" Demeter looked a little concerned.

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I took another Pringle. "Aro doesn't know that swans are my favorite animal. How could he? I've only told you about it."

"True, but..."

"You told me that I could choose the last name." I pointed out. Demeter sighed.

"I know. And it's not a bad one. I...I guess that it would be alright." She finally agreed. I smiled in triumph. She smiled back and turned her attention back to the road. I took to finishing my meal, and polished off the rest of the nasty tasting pop. When I was done I put my trash into the bag, set it back on the floor, and then leaned into my seat. I let my mind wander, listening to the rain as it beat its steady rhythm. Soon I was drifting off, and my eyes began to flutter shut. Just as I was on the very edge of alertness Demeter cried out, and the car swerved to the right, almost going into the ditch. I was jerked back awake and sat up.

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes wide. Demeter got the car on the road again, and glared at the windshield. I followed her stare and shook my head at the cause of her driving mishap. Aphrodite's perfect face shown brightly right over the spot where Demeter was trying to see out of. I swore under my breath. Great. Just who we needed.

"What the hell?" Demeter growled. It was rare to hear her speak like that, but Aphrodite wasn't her favorite person in the cosmos. She wasn't mine either. I could understand her anger. Aphrodite was so annoying.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" Aphrodite asked, her blue eyes mischievous. I bit back a bitter retort. It wasn't worth getting into a fight with her.

"Just my driving." Demeter huffed.

"Oops." Aphrodite laughed. "Ah, well. No harm, no foul. So I just got the news."

"So?"

"That was a close call." Aphrodite said. Demeter rolled her eyes. How obvious. "Aren't you done growing yet?" Aphrodite directed this at me. Her voice was filled with contempt. I raised my eyebrows.

"Does it matter?" I countered, my voice filled with as much loathing. "I can take as long as I want. What are you going to do about it?"

"You're so difficult for an unwanted child. I mean, you can't even control your powers yet."

"At least I know how to keep my legs closed." I told her, not letting her cheap blow affect me. I was used to all the gods making harsh comments about me. It wasn't like she was the only one. Aphrodite's face turned a bright red, but it was all that she could do at the moment. She wouldn't dare try anything that might hurt Demeter, for even though Zeus didn't like the fact that Demeter was my guardian she was still his sister. He still cared about her, as small a feeling as that was, and didn't want any harm to come to her. At least none that didn't have to deal with me and the vampires. Other than that he would punish anyone that did his sister wrong. He could treat her like crap, but no one else could. Those were his rules.

"Enough you two." Demeter chided.

"Fine." I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Good, now why else are you here, Aphrodite?" She must have had another agenda. Aphrodite wasn't the kind to drop in without a purpose, even if that purpose was to only piss someone off. She loved getting underneath people's skin. So did her son, Cupid. The two of them were always causing trouble of some sort. Stupid blonds.

"Hades wants to know if you don't mind him sending up Persephone early. They've had a little tiff." Aphrodite said. That wasn't it. I could feel it. Something else was on her mind. There was no way that she would just drop in like this to deliver a message. That was Hermes' job. A job that he didn't take too kindly to when someone else did it. What could it be? Was there something going on on Mount Olympus?

"Of course not!" Demeter's eyes sparkled as she said this. She only got to see Persephone six months out of the year, six too many in my opinion. Persephone was a bitch, as clear and cut as that. She was so bitchy that she made Aphrodite appear nice and not as shallow. Now that was saying a lot. "When will she be up?"

"Well...if you don't mind, we were thinking about spending a month or two in 1987. I just miss that year, and it'll be nice to take a vacation." Aphrodite said, a cheery smile plastered to her ruby lips. I didn't buy it for one moment. She was such a horrible liar, a lot worse than I was. How could Demeter not see this? But, then again, Aphrodite had mentioned her daughter. That was all that her mind could focus on. A great distraction.

"Oh, I...that would be OK." Demeter sounded wounded.

"Thanks, bye!" And with that Aphrodite was gone, and Demeter had her view back.

"Didn't you notice something funny with her?" I asked after a couple of seconds.

"Yes." Demeter said, her voice barely audible. Behind it I heard tears. Poor Demeter. I reached across the small space between us and grabbed a hold of her soft hand. I squeezed it tight.

"You'll see her." It wasn't the best thing to say, and I was really hoping that Persephone might get lost in 1987, but I didn't want Demeter to cry, so I was going to keep my comments to myself. "It's only a month."

"A month that I had to beg Hades for." Demeter sniffled. "She doesn't understand. She doesn't appreciate that." I opened my mouth to disagree, but then thought twice. What Demeter said was the truth. Persephone only thought of herself. The entire world had to revolve around her. How Hades could stand her I didn't know. "But at least I have you, and the both of us are safe. That's all that really matters." I sure hoped that that was never said around Persephone. She would freak out and probably boil me alive. She hated me as much as I hated her. She was jealous that I had her mother all the time, but then treated Demeter like she was nothing when she spent time with her. I could never do that to my mother. I would never.


	3. Laughing Stars

**Hey all my loyal readers, well I don't know if I have any, but still, here's my third chapter. I hope you all like this, and pretty please review. And thanks to all of you that have added my story to your favorites. It really makes me feel special. I hope that more people will add me in the future. Until then, enjoy, and pretty, pretty please review!**

_Where was I? I asked myself this silent question as I quickly looked around. I was in a narrow walkway, almost like an alley, and two thick, brick walls surrounded me. They were a dull red. The color of blood that had been left to dry and had been forgotten. The floor below my bare feet felt like cool and slippery sand. As I stood there without moving it was slowly pulling me down. I paid it no mind as I glanced above. There was a dim light shining down on me, and its source was the winking of billions of stars in the sky. I gazed at them and they gazed back like the cruel and beady eyes of all-knowing owls. I shuddered. They sure did look menacing. I didn't feel comfortable under their glare. _

"_Around… around... around." They whispered. I cocked my head to the side. _

"_What?" I asked out loud, not sure that I had heard them correctly. _

"_Around…around…around." They repeated. _

"_I don't understand." I told them. That made them giggle. My eyes lowered into slits and I directed this at them. Why were they laughing? I had no idea what was going on. How could they find this funny? I was completely confused. They had no right to treat me this way. It was outrageous. _

"_Turn… turn… 'Round you go." They started to chant. It sounded like a command. My face folded into a look of awe. What were they talking about? "Turn…turn…'Round you go." They were getting louder, and as that was happening I noticed that they were getting brighter. I bawled my hands up into fists. They were starting to tick me off. They knew something, knew something big, and they weren't explaining. It was like they enjoyed me being in the dark. I didn't like this. It made me nervous. _

"_Turn…turn…'Round you go."_

"_Can't you tell me what you mean?" I cried. _

"_Turn…turn…'Round you go." There was their answer for me. I screamed in rage, my hands flying to my hair. I tugged on a few strands. They were driving me crazy. _

"_I don't—"I began to say, but a loud growl from behind me stopped me dead. I turned and saw that some dark figure was moving toward me at a steady pace. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart started to pound too fast. I gulped. The figure before me wanted to end my life. I had no doubt about that. Its plans for me radiated off of it in waterfalls. Was this what the stars were chanting about? Why couldn't of they just told me? Why did they have to be so…?_

Run!_ My gut told me, interrupting my thoughts. _Don't let him get you. Run now! _I nodded, knowing that my gut instinct would never steer me wrong. I turned away from the figure, picked up my feet, and went in the opposite direction. I ran. I ran as fast as I could, though that wasn't saying much due to the fact that the ground was mush. I pushed on, not letting it stop me. A couple of times I glanced over my shoulder to see if the shadowed figure was pursuing me and to my horror it was. But at a slightly slower speed then I was going at. It was letting me tire myself out. It was playing with me! I was just a toy to it. _

"_No!" I told myself. I was not going to let it get me. I couldn't. I went pushed myself faster. My legs carried me along the pathway, and soon I saw a wall. I was getting closer to the end. A dead end. I reached it in a matter of no time and most my hopes of living evaporated into the air. The wall was at least fifteen feet tall, making it too high for me to jump. I would have to climb it. That was the only way that I would be able to get away from my pursuer, and who knew how long I had? But I couldn't give up. Not just yet. I moved as close to the wall as was possible, and to my luck found spaces in between the brick that were big enough for me to stick my hands and feet into. It looked like I just might have a chance. I reached above my head to start, but then stopped cold. Something sinister was breathing down my neck. _

"_Turn…turn…'Round you go." The stars almost yelled in a gleeful way. The figure was right behind me. I could try to climb, but it would be useless. It was all over. _

"_No. "I sobbed as I faced my pursuer. _

"_Turn…turn…'Round you go!" The stars were yelling at the top of their lungs. It was so bright that it was sickening. I stared into the face of the figure, my death._

"_No!" I sobbed again. I didn't want it to end like this. It wasn't fair! "Please don't." I begged. He smiled sadly. I didn't recognize him, but something about him made my soul ache. It was like a part of it had been ripped viciously from my being and stomped on by a pair of spiky shoes. It was all his fault. He was the reason I was in pain. He was the reason I had to die. He was the cause for this sudden feeling of betrayal and longing. What had he done? And more importantly, who was he?_

"_Bella, I'm so sorry." My pursuer told me in a voice as pretty as silk. I shook my head. No he wasn't. He wasn't sorry at all. If he was he wouldn't be doing this. _

"_You can't." I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. He stepped closer to me. _

"_I love you." He almost whispered. He was right in front of me now. I tried to back up, forgetting that there was as wall, and cried out as my back met it. He brushed a lock of my disheveled hair out of my face. My heart soared and my mind swam as his fingers softly brushed against my cheek. I felt drunk, yet terrified at the same time. I was in his grasps. There was nothing that I could do. "Bella, please remember that I love you. I'm just doing what I have to." I opened my mouth to scream, to deny his words, but nothing came out. He placed a small kiss to my lips, making my stomach churn with desire and disgust. "Remember." He said one last time, the word lost as the whole world around me went black... _

"No!" My voice was a strangled cry as I shot up into a sitting position. Sweat poured down my back in waves. The tears from my eyes flowed as free as a river. I bent over the tangled mess of blankets that held my legs, and sobbed like a small child. I had no idea why I was doing so. It had only been a dream…a nightmare… after all. But it had seemed so real. Death had never felt like that before, so sure to me. Not even when Demeter and I were running for our lives was it like that. My nightmare had made it so absolute. There had been no way to avoid it. I had tried to run, but still that had done nothing. Why had something so ugly come to me in my sleep? Where the Fates trying to warn me, or had Aphrodite found a way to terrorize me while I slept without Selene noticing? If it was the first, and the Fates were trying to tell me something, then what was it? What could be so terrifying in my future that made them compelled to hint at it?

I cried until there was nothing left in me, and when I was done I just sat on my bed; gazing around my room. A faint ray of early sunlight fell through my window, making the good-sized room glow a foggy purple. My bedroom was bare. Demeter and I had only been in Forks for about a week. We had bought enough stuff to last us awhile yesterday, but that had only been food and clothes and such. We hadn't gotten anything to decorate our new home. We wouldn't for another month or so. Not until we knew that this place was somewhat safe for us to be at. Then Demeter would go on a huge shopping spree with Hestia and possibly Persephone (if she was up from the Underworld by then), and the entire house would be redone. Money meant nothing to us. We could manifest it in a blink of an eye. It wasn't a problem that any god had to face. Most of us were either rich or very well to do, though there were a few that liked to live as simply as possible. Some really enjoyed it, while the others did it as a way to stay alive. It was much easier for Aro to find a rich god than a poor one. Smart idea if you asked me.

I took a deep breath, letting the last of my jumbled nerves calm down. The fear of the dream was now gone from my body, but still I felt a little shaky. Dreams never did that to me. Never made me cry. Never affected me in any way. I usually didn't remember the nonsense that popped into my head while I slumbered, so this was something new to me. It was important, but what had it been trying to say? And why? What was coming in my future? What horrible thing? And did I really want to know? Maybe it was one of those things best left unpredicted. Maybe if I tried to forget it, it wouldn't happen. I prayed so.

"Good. You're up." Demeter said as she came into my slowly lightening room. I watched her as she came over and sat down next to the bottom of my feet. They were still covered by my blankets.

"Good? Why?" I asked, my voice giving no hint that I had just been bawling my brains out. I hoped that Demeter wouldn't be able to see anything in my face. The room was dark, but there was enough light from the rising sun to cast shadows across the area like claws of a hungry sea monster reaching for its prey. We could see each other, barely, but it was enough.

Demeter raised her eyebrows, and I groaned. I knew what that meant, and I didn't like it one bit. This day was not starting out on a good foot. At least not for me. I was getting the short end of the stick. First the dream and now this. What else could the Fates cook up for me?

"Oh, come on!" I whined. "We haven't even been here for an entire week, why do I have to go to school?"

"I thought you liked school." Demeter told me, leaning against one of my bedposts.

"I do, but it's the middle of March." I said.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Demeter asked.

"If this school is like most others, then that means that there are only a couple of moths left. I really don't want to start now. It would be too awkward." I explained, trying to make her see my point. Demeter shook her head. She was having none of that.

"When has that every stopped you?" Demeter looked amused at my childish behavior. I bit my lip. Gr…

"Can't I just stay home?" I begged, giving her the puppy dog eyes. Maybe I could persuade her to let me stay, though that had never worked on her before. That didn't mean that I wasn't going to keep trying it. One day it had to, but today didn't appear to be that day.

"No." Demeter's tone was set. I wasn't going to win this battle. She had her mind all made up, and I had no choice but to follow what she said. "Besides I have a guest coming over later."

"Fine." I grumbled, knowing that it would be no use to me to drag this out. I had to go to school. Lovely. There was no way around this. Damn. "Who?" I asked, changing the subject. I was more than a tad bit curious. This could possibly be the reason she wanted me out of the house. I hardly got along with any of the other gods, and always seemed to get into fights with them when I was around them. It wasn't my fault. I wasn't the one with the attitude problem…well, OK. I did have an attitude at times, but I was never the one to start things. I just tried to finish them.

"Erebus." Demeter said. I felt my eyes get wide. What in the world was she doing inviting the god of darkness over for? He wasn't exactly the person that you wanted to have tea with. He was just creepy. Not as bad as Thanatos, who made your skin crawl and gut clench, but still he wasn't a fun guy to hang with. I tried to avoid him the best that I could. I would certainly be going to school. No way was I waiting around for him to show up.

"Why?"

"Remember when Aphrodite popped up in the windshield on our way out here?" Demeter asked me.

"I'm trying to forget, but yes."

"Well, you mentioned that she was acting a little weird, and I'm trying to find out why." Demeter said. "It seems that something has gone wrong on Mount Olympus."

"Things were ever right?" Wow. That was news to me.

"Bella, you know what I mean."

"Sorry." I said, not really meaning it. "But why would Erebus know anything? He doesn't hang out with any of them up there. He's usually alone." Not that I could blame him. The gods there thought that they were all that. But their big heads would deflate faster than a carnival balloon if the protection surrounding Mount Olympus was broken. Then they would have to deal with the Volturi, who were just waiting for a chance to sink their teeth into the ten main gods up there. There was supposed to be twelve, but Demeter was here with me and Artemis had gone missing many, many years ago. No one knew where she was, not even Apollo. She wasn't dead. That much was known, but other than that everything was a mystery. Her reason, or reasons, for going into seclusion weren't even clear. Some believed that she had just gotten bored with everything on Earth and was traveling around the universe, while others thought that she was hiding from a mistake that she had made. Whatever the reasons where, she was gone, which weakened the gods' power a bit. None where happy about it, but none wanted to go and search for her either. Lazy.

"He's been keeping tabs on things up there ever since that Videmi crisis broke out."

"Oh, yeah." I mumbled. I had heard about that. It had happened ages before I had been born, and was the time when the Volturi had tried to create a hybrid between a vampire and a god. They had kidnapped minor demigods and bitten them, thinking that that would work. Thankfully it hadn't. The vampires' venom had killed the demigods shortly after they had gotten infected. Something in it made it poisonous to us gods, and after a couple of failed experiments the Volturi had stopped. I wondered why they would want something like that, but no one was up to telling me. I figured it had to have been for something horrible, but no one had confirmed my suspicions yet. Another thing that I was used to…never knowing anything. "So do you have an idea of what it could be?"

Demeter's green eyes darkened. "Yes." Her voice was almost harsh.

"What?" I breathed, hoping that she would tell me.

"Not now." Demeter told me, popping out of her sudden bad mood. She smiled warmly, and patted my clothed-covered calf. "You have to get to school. You don't want to be late."

"You do promise to tell me, don't you?" I wouldn't let her be until she told me. I would be a huge thorn in her side. She would have to pull me out with a pair of pliers. That's how deep and annoying I would. Yes, it was juvenile, but I couldn't help it. I hated secrets being kept from me, and that's all that anyone seemed to want to due. I was shut out from most of things, and I knew that was due mostly because of Zeus. He despised me. Why I couldn't say. The worst I could have done to him when I was a baby was drool on him, and that wasn't much of a reason to want to kill a child. It didn't really matter anyways. Zeus was an ass. I had better things to do than try and figure out the way he ticked. Better things like school. Oh the joy.

"Eventually." Demeter told me.

"But…" That wasn't fair. That meant that she could tell me eons from now. "I want to—"

"Bella, please just get ready for school." Demeter demanded, cutting me off. "One day you will find out. Find out everything that's been on your mind, and then you can go from there. But until then I want you to listen when I order you to do something. Now it's time for school." And with that she got up off my bed and left my room; leaving me to stew in anger. I wasn't a child! Yes, I wasn't an adult yet, but I wasn't five either. I was almost seventeen by human standards, and in my opinion that made me old enough for the knowledge that I craved with a burning passion. I could handle it. I know that I could. Why didn't she see that? Why did she have to try and protect me so? I was a big girl. Why couldn't she just tell me?

I sat on my bed for a few more moments, and then decided that I better get up and take a shower. Demeter could be quite fierce in her anger, and I really didn't want to put up with that right now. I unwrapped the blankets from around my legs, stood up, stretched, and then went about all the things that I normally did to get ready for school. I wasn't in the mood to deal with the hassle of being the new girl, but it had to be done. What other choice did I have?


	4. Facing Master

**Hey peeps! This is my fourth chapter. I can't believe it. Wow. Lol. Anyways. This chapter is written from the third-person POV. I'll be doing this in a couple of my chapters, and it's only to describe what is going on in other places. I hope this doesn't confuse any of you. If so I'm sorry. But I don't think it will. Love you all! And please keep r&r. **

Fortress of concrete and innocent blood, the castle was as silent as a tomb on a mid-winter's night. One of the only sounds to be heard was the whistle of the fierce wind as it whipped against the outside. This was definitely a place that harbored the dead and evil. The god shivered as he walked swiftly across the floor, his footsteps, the other noise, echoing like small earthquakes in the spacious hall that he took, but it wasn't from the lingering chill that clung to the brick wall like molasses. The cold did not bother him at all. In fact, he was wearing tight black jeans and a flaming red t-shirt with the black outline of a dragon on the front. No, it was the master of the castle that made his flesh crawl, the one that he was there to see. He hated being in his presence, but he knew a very big secret which the god could not afford him acting upon. His life was too precious to him to allow something like that happen.

The god came to the end of the hall and stopped at the door that held his point of interest behind it. Or at least he hoped so. He would be pissed if he had come all this way for nothing. The master of the castle knew how much the god risked by coming. This trip was not one that the god had taken lightly. Not after what he had done. This was a very bad time for him to be going anywhere that looked suspicious. Everyone on Mount Olympus was running in circles at the moment, and there was a very big chance that he might get caught, and he didn't want that. There would be no mercy for him if Zeus got his hands on him. He would be in worse shit than Artemis had been, and daddy wouldn't be as kind to him as he had been to her.

Standing on either side of the polished oak door were two guards. One was tall with black, shoulder-length and reddish black eyes. At first he looked quite approachable, his face giving no hints to the monster that he was, but the guy sensed that the vampire before him was lethal. He was more dangerous than a cat ready to pounce on its unsuspecting prey. No way would the god be crossing him. The other guard was tiny, her shape that of an eight-year-old, and, her luscious brown hair was cut short. It had always been like that as long as the god could remember. Her eyes were much redder in color than the male's, which meant that she had fed just recently. The god felt disgusted, hating everything that the vampires were, but since the god didn't know the other guard, he directed all his attention to the young appearing female with the blazing orbs.

"Heard Bella really did a number on your brother." He told her. She glared daggers at him, making the guy laugh. Her reaction amused him. He would have to thank Bella for that when all this was said and done. She had given him an excuse to torment the little bitch that had coaxed his secret from him. For that it seemed almost a shame that something grotesque was in store for Bella. Ah well. He would get by. He had no moral compass. If he had he wouldn't be where he was at the moment.

"I'll do a number on you!" She growled, barring her teeth for him to see. The canines were sharp, just waiting to sink into soft, pink flesh. "You know what I could do to you." The god said nothing in response to that. Her behavior did not disturb him in the slightest. As talented as she was, he was a god and had much more power than she could ever dream of possessing. He could squash her like a bug if he chose to, but that would not be a wise decision on his part. Some vampires would not be too happy, and he didn't want to have to deal with any more strife in his life than he already had.

"Enough, Jane." The tall guard said. Jane stared in his direction, looking ready to pound the shit out of him for commanding her to do so, but after a moment or two her face took on an impassive stance, and she stood as still as a statue; obviously avoiding anymore confrontation with the god. Well, that would have to do for now. Maybe when he was done with the master he would have a little fun with Jane. Gods how she deserved it. Maybe they would get into a brawl. He hadn't beaten anyone's ass in awhile, and the god felt that it was about due time for another person to cry at his cause. And Jane was the perfect candidate. Yes, that was a plan. Now he had something to look forward to.

"Is he in there?" The god asked the unknown guard.

"Of course." The male replied. The god glanced him over again. He was certainly different than Alec, Jane's brother. Much more of a guard. Well, at least in looks. It was never a smart idea to underestimate a vampire because of its sex or the age that it had been turned. All were fierce creatures of the night. And Alec was no exception, but it seemed that the master of the castle preferred Jane and Alec over the others only because of their size. They were children on the outside. Very, very beautiful children. No one could resist them, not even the god. Even now he had to fight off the feelings that he felt toward Jane, and he wasn't one to like children, but there was something about Jane and Alec. Something that drove him to them. Maybe if he had controlled his feelings all those years ago then maybe he wouldn't be where he was. He wouldn't be the vampires' little sock puppet. He could live a life that wasn't one of treachery…well, at least one that didn't have as high of stakes. That would be bliss, but no…Desires were hard to overcome.

"Let me in then." The god commanded. The tall guard nodded quickly and then unhinged the door. He pushed it open, and it flung back; creaking the entire way. The god stepped forward, not bothering to thank the vampire, and gazed into the room that lay before him. It wasn't very big, but it was dark lest for the far back. There sat a posh couch surrounded by three giant pillars that were candles. They gave off little light, but it was enough for the god to see the being that sat on the couch. It was as pale as phantom, though its skin was translucent, almost like an onion. It had long, black hair that hung around its shoulders like a shaggy rug. Its eyes were filmed over and milky, though they pierced the god with a wisdom and spitefulness that could only be learned from years of experience. The god shuddered. Here was the master of the castle. Before him was Aro, the oldest of the vampires. The first that Cronus had created. He was older than most gods, and was stronger than any vampire put together. He was what drove fear deep into the hearts of all creatures alike. And, man, he sure looked pissed.

"Come in!" Aro barked his tone curt. The god gulped and walked into the room. When he had passed the door Aro said to the male guard, "Demetri, shut the door, and do not disturb us for any reason."

"Yes, sir." The guard, Demetri, bowed and did as he was told. The door was shut and the god was left to deal with the vampire's fury.

"Come closer." Aro ordered the god, beckoning him with a withered finger. The god really didn't want to. Aro was in a bad mood, and that meant that he was going to bleed for his mistakes. Not exactly the greeting that he preferred, but the god had no choice but to move toward the ancient being. He didn't dawdle, and stood before Aro with his head lowered to his feet in a matter of no time. "Look at me." Aro commanded. The god sighed slightly, and did as he raised his head. As soon as he did Aro struck him across the face, busting his lip wide open. "You're late!" Aro accused. "Almost two days."

"You know that I had to keep a low profile." The god told him, trying to keep his own anger under check as he wiped away the blood that was running down his chin. Aro was not one that a person who valued his life yelled at. Staying calm and collected, as hard as that was, was the only way to not cross him and not lose a limb or two. "And now Zeus and the others will wonder about this." He said, pointing at his wound.

"You're a god. You'll heal." Aro snapped. He licked the god's rich blood from his fingers, and then spit onto the god's shoe. "Disgusting." He muttered. "Thank goodness that your nagging breed isn't what I have to live off of." The god took a deep breath. Oh, how he longed to hall of and hit Aro with everything that he had, but not now. One day his chance would come, and when it did there was no doubt that he would seize up the opportunity.

"Why am I here?" The god asked, thinking it best to change the subject.

"I want you to unchain Prometheus from that mountain top in Caucasus." Aro told the god.

"What?!" The god roared. "I just released Dione, whom ate my best horse."

"And now I want you to release Prometheus." Aro growled back. "I need as much help as possible."

"We don't even have the girl yet. We don't even know where she is! There's no point in releasing any more titans until we do." The god said, flinging out his arms. Aro caught hold of one of the god's hands and pulled him down to his level. The god's heart raced as Aro pushed his head to the side and drew a long line down his throat with the edge of his sharp nail. There wasn't enough pressure to create a cut, but it was enough to get his point across to the now terrified god.

"I wouldn't worry about Bella." Aro told him in a hushed voice filled with venom. "I already have her location. You aren't the only one of my spies. I have many, more efficient than you. I have things already in play. Now if I were you I would be an obedient little god and do as I say. Or…" Aro pressed harder with his nail, causing a small trickle of blood to begin to flow. "Get my point?"

"Y-yes." The god almost yelped. Aro laughed gently.

"Good." He let the god go. "Get out of my face. I don't want to see you until Prometheus is free. Bring him to me, and don't waste time." The god nodded, his knees shaking.

"I w-won't." The god promised. Aro raised his hand and waved him away, his dismissal. The god fled to the door and banged on it furiously. As soon as Demetri had it opened the god ran from the castle as fast as he could, off to his next assignment. The further away from Aro the better.


	5. Enemy Number One

**Yay!!! Chapter Five! I'm so happy. Thank you all for reading as long as you have. And thanks for all the reviews. I smile every time that I get a new one. Love you all, and please enjoy this. **

"This way if you please." The secretary at the front desk said to me, getting up from her swivel chair. She walked over to the door, her wide hips going back and forth, and stopped just a foot or so away from it. She was waiting for me. I sighed, picked up the schedule that she had just printed off the computer for me, and followed after her. "I have a ton of work to do." The secretary mumbled under her breath in an irritated tone just loud enough for me to hear. I took offense to that. It wasn't my fault that I was here. Demeter had forced me to come to school. If it were up to me I would be at home sleeping. And wasn't this her job? Wasn't she supposed to help students? What in the world was she complaining for?

The secretary opened the glass door and practically pushed me out of it. She left it open, and ushered me down the hall and to the right. I hated how her hand was almost touching the middle of my back like she was doing her best to avoid touching an ugly squid, but still trying to lead it to water. If she was attempting to get a message across, well I got it loud and clear. She didn't like me. All I had asked for was someone to show me to my first class, and she had mistakenly thought that I had been demanding her to drop all that she had to do and help me. She must be having a bad day, but wasn't every day a bad day for secretaries? Ah, well. That wasn't much of an excuse for her, but I wasn't going to let her bad mood get to me. I was going to do my best to look at least interested in being at Forks High. No reason to make another enemy on my first day of school.

She took me to English 11 in room 267. It was at the very end of the hall on the second floor. The secretary pointed at the open door, and I moved forward. I gazed inside, praying that no one would look over to check the clock and see my head popping around the corner. No one did and I was able to get my first glimpse of a few of my classmates. Most looked bored and I think I saw one drooling on his open textbook as he snored quite loudly on top of it. The teacher, an old and probably deaf guy by the looks of him, was facing the board and didn't seem to notice that he was losing any interest that the students might have had in the beginning of class. He was coping down some notes from a notebook that he held with one hand. His other hand was kind of unsteady and I swear it took him two minutes to write one sentence. I rolled my eyes. Man, this was going to be torture to have to sit through day in and day out. And first period! Oh, how cruel.

"Excuse me, Mr. Dawson?" The secretary tapped on the open door. Everyone turned, minus the sleeping guy, and I watched as their eyes got wide as they focused on me. Look a new girl! I could practically read that on every single one of their faces. Great. It was beginning. Oh, Fates what had I done to you? Why were you punishing me? I wanted to cry these questions out, but that would certainly make me look like a freak and I really didn't want to get the loony bin called on me. Wouldn't that just make the secretary's day?

Mr. Dawson didn't seem to have heard the secretary, so she tapped harder on the door.

"Mr. Dawson?" A girl in the third row with colorful braces asked, attempting to get his attention. It didn't work.

"Mr. Dawson!" The secretary yelled. Mr. Dawson jumped, dropping his notebook onto the floor. Poor guy. It looked like she had almost given him a heart attack.

"W-what? Oh…Ms. Day. What do I owe the pleasure of you interrupting my class to?" Mr. Dawson asked, facing Ms. Day and me. Ms. Day grabbed a hold of my shoulder and pulled me over so that he could get a better view of me. I had to fight the urge to bite her hand as it rested on my shoulder. I did not like her touching me. It was so uncomfortable. Could she not tell?

"I have a new student here for you." She told him. Mr. Dawson put down his white chalk and smiled. His dentures were coffee stained and a little cracked, but it least it was a friendly smile. It was a much better welcome than what Ms. Day had given me at the office. He wasn't annoyed at me for disturbing his class. That made me feel a little bit better. And he didn't look like he was going to keel over dead. That was reassuring.

"Well, hello there…" He trailed off.

"Isabella." I said, smiling back at Mr. Dawson. "Isabella Swan."

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Isabella Swan." Mr. Dawson nodded. "Come in. Come in, and you can have the extra seat next to Jessica." He pointed a crooked finger at an empty seat next to a very flushed faced girl.

"OK." I said, nodding my head.

"Thank you, Ms. Day." Mr. Dawson told her. Ms. Day let go of my shoulder and just walked off, muttering under her breath again. How rude! But Mr. Dawson didn't seem upset over it. On the contrary he just shrugged his shoulders and bent down to pick up his fallen notebook. "Don't be shy, Ms. Swan," Mr. Dawson said as he stood up straight. I was still at the door. I hadn't stepped one foot into the classroom yet. "We won't bite." He promised and chuckled a little at his words. I bit my lip, and briskly went into the room. I raced over to the seat that he had pointed to, and tried to block out all the whispers that were flying around me. I was now all that anyone would talk about for the next couple of days. Just my rotten luck. Thanks Demeter. "Isabella?"

"You can call me Bella if you want." I said, my voice was high and a tad bit squeaky. Oh, why me?

"Is that what most people call you?" Mr. Dawson asked. Um…actually most people that I knew or came in contact with called me all sorts of things, none of which I wanted to announce to those around me. Half they wouldn't understand for they were in Greek and the others were just plan horrible. The only people that called me Bella were the ones that liked me. A very few number indeed, but I wasn't going to tell any of this to Mr. Dawson. He wouldn't believe me.

"Sure." I said, shifting my gaze away. I wasn't the best of liars. It just wasn't a talent that I possessed, not that I would brag about it if I could.

"Alright, Bella." OK, so he wasn't suspicious. "Has Ms. Day given you a tour of the school?"

"No." I answered. Was he insane? Ms. Day would sooner stab me in the tongue than show me around Forks High. I think she would pass out if that was even suggested to her.

"Hm...Ms. Stanely?" The girl on my left shifted in her seat.

"Yes." Her voice was thick with sadness. I looked over at her, and felt bad. She had been crying, crying very hard. Her eyes were all puffy, and she had that fragile thing about her that told me that she could start bawling at any moment. Oh, I prayed that Mr. Dawson wasn't going to assign her to be my guide. I couldn't handle someone in emotional pain. I never said the right thing, and always ended up making them feel worse. Please…please… I crossed my fingers.

"Would you mind showing Bella to all of her classes?" Damn it!

"I…I…no." Jessica shook her head. She didn't appear too thrilled about it, but apparently didn't want to get on the bad side of Mr. Dawson. Perfect. Just perfect. What would I do if she decided to lean on the shoulder of the new girl? I would make her even more depressed. Maybe even drive her to commit suicide. Couldn't he ask someone else? Couldn't she just refuse? Why did everything have to work against me? Damn! Damn! Damn!

"Good." Mr. Dawson smiled again, though this time it made me feel the opposite of what it had before. "Let's get back to the story. Bella, have you read Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah." I said. Who hadn't? It was the basis for almost every romance novel out there. Personally I found it kind of creepy. For two people to be that much in love at such an age was outrageous. What had Shakespeare been thinking? That wasn't realistic, and yet almost everyone swooned at the thought of having a relationship like that. I blamed Aphrodite. She had been the one to give him the idea. In fact, she had slept with him. You wouldn't find that in any textbook, but it was the truth. All the great romantics had had a taste of Aphrodite. Where do you think their inspiration had come from?

"That's great news because we've just finished it." Mr. Dawson said, clapping his hands. "You won't be behind us."

"Yay." I silently breathed. Mr. Dawson went back to coping down his notes, and I sat back in my chair. This was going to be a long day.


	6. Nymph In Biology

**Squee!!! This is chapter six. Yay!!! I hope that you all enjoy this one. And thanks to all of you that have read and reviewed this. You guys are the reason that I keep writing, and I love you all for liking my story. Thanks! **

The morning was grueling. I couldn't think of anything more horrible. I followed Jessica to each of my classes, trailing behind her like an awkward puppy. It sucked to have everyone in the halls staring at me like I was an alien with five heads attached to my neck, but at least Jessica was keeping to herself. She had her head down, and clutched her books to her chest like they were her only lifeline. I don't know how she maneuvered around the horde of students that cluttered the hallways, but she did, and that made my day just a smidge better. I didn't have to deal with whatever she was going through at the moment. Not the nicest thing in the world, but how was I supposed to show sympathy to someone that had just been forced to show me about. Neither one of us was happy. I didn't want to be at school, and she was an emotional mess. A perfect match made. Mr. Dawson had done a great job.

Of course no one paid any attention in the classes that I was in. Everyone was more interested in the new girl that had moved so late in the school year, a.k.a. me. You would think that I would be use to it by now. I had been alive for two-thousand years and had been to at least twenty-thousand schools (no joke), but each time it did not get any easier. People were the nosiest things on the planet, and never left the new person alone. It was insane, but not in the good way. Nothing in Hades could compare to the torture that I had to endure in those first four classes, which Jessica was only in two. I really hated it, and couldn't wait to get to lunch. At least there people would be more focused on shoveling food down their throats then me. I could get a little peace before my afternoon classes, where I would finish out the rest of the day feeling like a goldfish in a fish tank.

As is it turns out lunch was more uncomfortable than any of my previous classes, if you can count lunch as a class. No one stared at me, but I sat at the table with Jessica (where else was I supposed to?) and some of her friends. During the entire half hour she just sat there with her back hunched over, doing her best to avoid the glances that this one guy, I think his name was Mike, kept shooting at her. It didn't take me long to figure out what was up with Jessica. Mike had done something, possibly broken up with her, and it had wounded her deeply. Now she was pretending like he didn't even exist. Oh the woes of dating. It could be very devastating. Thankfully I never stayed around in an area long enough to start one.

No one at the table talked to me, they were all more focused on Jessica. Not that I really minded. I just sat there poking at the thing on my plate that was supposed to be my food and just waited for the period to end. When it did I took up my tray with the uneaten food and placed it in the spot that where it was supposed to go. Then I checked my schedule to see where I was headed to next, and hurried to find Jessica. I met up with her just as she was walking out the cafeteria's doors.

"I have Biology." I told her. She stopped for a second.

"Goodie." She muttered, and then started up again. I took that as her way of telling me to follow, and so I did.

Biology was not where I thought it was going to be. It was in a completely different building. As it turned out, Forks High consisted of three brick prisons, each containing their own little hell holes. I had to wonder why there were three. Forks only had five hundred students, if that. One building could house them all and there would still be room left over for Godzilla to sit down. Why all the unneeded space? It was utterly ridiculous.

Jessica and I walked across the soggy quad. to the second building. It looked gloomy, but, then again, all of Forks looked gloomy. It was the heavy ran clouds that hung in the sky like dirty blankets. They were fierce and angry, and I didn't like them at all. It wasn't the fact that they carried rain. I loved the rain. It was incredible, especially when it was a warm drizzle. No, it was the fact that the clouds seemed to have a mind of their own, which was silly. Clouds were just things that the Four Winds liked to push around. It made them feel special. Clouds couldn't think. At least I hoped that they couldn't, but it was possible. It wouldn't be the first time that I had been wrong about something.

In the building it was slightly colder than outside, probably to keep all the dead frogs from melting, which really sucked. I was going to have to remember to wear a coat for the remainder of the year. I prayed that the teacher wouldn't mind. I was not going to freeze my ass off every time that I went to Biology. No freaking way. Science wasn't that important to me. We went to the second floor, and my Biology class was the fifth room on the left. Jessica pulled open the door, waited for me to go in first, and then shuffled in after me. I stood in the front of the class while she took a seat next to the Mike guy; something that she did not look too happy about.

"Hello," a voice said from the side of me. I nearly flew out of my skin, which got a couple people laughing. I ignored them and faced the source of the voice. It came from an older guy, not as old as Mr. Dawson, whom had thick glasses and pointed ears. He was funny in appearance, but didn't seem to care what his students might think of him as he sat casually on top of his wide desk. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Bella Swan." I stuttered out, making more giggles escape from my fellow classmates. Oh, this was embarrassing. I chided myself for being so jumpy, and tried to calm my racing heart. "I'm new."

"Ah, yes. I've heard from the masses." He smiled a very crocked smile. I returned a meek one. "Well, Bella, I'm Mr. Wineberg, and I welcome you to Biology."

"Thanks." I said, not really sure what else to say. It was Biology. What was welcoming about it?

"Alright." Mr. Wineberg clapped his hands together. "Why don't you take a seat over there," he pointed to the only empty seat left, "and we'll continue on with the digestive system."

"OK." I nodded, and then quickly made my way over to the spot where he had directed me to. I sat down at a table with a shiny black top and brought from my pocket a pencil and a tiny notebook. I had been jotting down random things; like that I needed a ton of notebooks and a backpack, and I really hadn't paid any mind to the teachers as they taught everyone else. They couldn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I had heard it all before. Maybe in a different language and country, but I had heard it. More times than anyone around me could count. So I just blocked Mr. Wineberg as he talked about mechanical digestion and began to doodle a weird looking cow. I wasn't very good at drawing and it ended up being a cross between a horse and a goat. Ah well. At least it was keeping me from falling asleep.

Biology was a double period so that we could be bored to death and then apply what little we remembered from our lesson to a lab required by the state. It was an hour and a half of annoyance, at least for me. Mr. Wineberg didn't want me to start on the lab that the rest of the class was almost done with because he wasn't sure where my last school had left off at, so I was forced to sit around while everyone else got up and did some random thing. I had no clue what they were doing, and was sort of glad that I didn't have try and decipher the lab. I stared off into nothing as small conversations arose all around me. I sighed. This was so boring. What could I do? I glanced around, and then decided that rolling my pencil on top of the table would be more exciting than sitting like a wallflower at a school dance. I pushed it back and forth between my numb hands (the Biology room was worse than the hall), and I had to shake my head at myself.

"Yay." I whispered as I tried to stop the pencil with my right hand. I didn't put it down fast enough and the pencil was going at a speedy rate. It rolled across to the other end of the table. It rested against an arm covered by a navy jean jacket. I reached over to get it and then stopped. I gazed at the guy before me, not understanding how I could have not noticed him before. He was beautiful, almost painfully, well what I could see of him. His face was turned at an angle. The guy's slightly disheveled hair was a reddish brown…bronze being the best word to describe it. His skin was pearly white, like it was made of granite, and his face was one to rival any god's. I could stare at him all day long, but I wasn't going to. The guy before me was a nymph, one of the most bothersome creatures to ever flit across the earth. His kind where flighty and misleading, and I was confused to why he would be at a high school. Nymphs weren't interested in learning. Singing and combing their hair was the only things that they cared about. What in the world was he doing here? It was definitely an odd for someone of his kind to do.

"Excuse me?" The nymph asked in an enchanting voice. He turned so that his deep, topaz eyes were focused on me.

"W-what?" I almost yelped as I came back to reality. The nymph raised one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows.

"Do I have something wrong with my face?" He quizzed with just a hint of humor in his tone. I felt myself turning a bright red. He knew that I had been staring at him like some mesmerized groupie onstage with her favorite rock star. Oh, how embarrassing! I was never going to live this down. I just knew it.

"N-no. I just thought that you looked…familiar? Yeah, familiar." I nodded with great force. The nymph gave me a funny look, and then picked up my pencil in one of his delicately shaped hands. A small part of my brain quickly wondered who his parents were, but I pushed the thought away. No way was I going to ask him. That would risk me giving up my identity. I was not going to do something that was that stupid. Nymphs couldn't keep secrets. In a matter of no time the entire universe would know where Demeter and I were hiding out at, and then the Volturi would be after us. And I was in no mood to move just yet.

"OK…" The nymph trailed off as he handed my pencil to me. "This is yours." I took it from him.

"Thanks." I nearly whispered, wanting to die. Man, I must look like such a dork, not that the opinion of some weird nymph really mattered to me. But someone must have noticed that I had been ogling the guy, practically burning a hole in the side of his head. People were going to harass me badly for this. There was no way that I would be able to avoid that. Damn it! I put the pencil back in my pocket, and then put my tomato colored face down on the bone chilling table, wanting for the rest of the class to pass quickly so that I could escape to my second to last period without any grief. Screw Jessica. Once the bell rang I was going to be the first out the door. I would find History by myself. I was not going to wait around for people to pick on me.


	7. Making A Friend

**Celebrate! It's chapter seven. Wee!!! Lol. Thanks, again (and I'll keep doing this in every chapter just because I feel the need to), to all of you that have read and reviewed this. It means a lot to me that you like this story. Thanks, and I love you all. I pray that you like this chapter. **

I made a mountain out of a mole hole. Everyone had been more focused on their labs to notice my tongue-tied staring at the nymph, whose name I didn't know. I had thought all of them would be more interested in me, for I was the new girl, but nope. The makeshift stomachs that they all had been playing with had been much more exciting. Well, that was good news for me. I didn't have to put with all the childish snickers that I thought that I would have to. I actually made it through History and P.E. in a harmony of sorts. Yes, people still stared at me like I was the craziest thing to ever roam the hallways, but I paid less attention to it. My thoughts were on something else: the nymph. The gorgeous nymph, but, then again, they were all like that. Every single one of them was perfect, but stupid. Or so I had believed until the one in my Biology class. Wow. That was something that I hadn't expected to find. And because of him I was going to have to be extra careful. He would be able to spot a demigod like it was nothing since nymphs spent most of their time trying to avoid them. He added another reason for me to be extremely cautious. Great.

After P.E. I was free to go home. I walked out of the locker rooms while everyone was still changing, and headed out of the building straight toward Demeter's 1963 Thunderbird. It was a baby blue color and it was an amazing car to drive. I have no idea where she had gotten it, but I didn't ask. She had let me borrow it for school, though not before promising to buy me one in the near future. I really didn't care. I could walk to school, and it wouldn't be that bad since it was now starting to get into spring. All that would bug me was the rain, but I could carry an umbrella and it would all work out fine. But Demeter was persistent and wanted me to have a way to get around whenever I felt the need to. Hey it was a free car. Who was I to argue?

I opened the Thunderbird's door, and put in my right leg in. Just as I did so I heard a voice call out to me.

"Hey, Bella! Wait a moment!" I turned my head. Jessica was striding over my way. Oh no. Had she finally decided to open up, and was now coming to cry on my shoulder? I stared at her closely. She didn't look like she was about to burst into tears, but one could never tell. I groaned. Please have pity on me, Gods. Just this once.

"Hi, Jessica. What's up?" I asked, shutting the door. I put on a happy face. Jessica stopped a couple of feet away from me.

"Sorry." Jessica said, giving me an apologetic smile. I stared at her. What was she apologizing for? "I had no right to treat you the way that I did today."

"Oh. Don't worry about it." I told her, not giving much thought to what she was talking about. I was still waiting for her to start bawling. Was it even going to happen? Had the gods heard my prayer? Did I not have to go through the awkwardness of someone bearing their soul to me? Did I have nothing to worry about? I sure hoped so.

"No, I was wrong to do that." Jessica countered. I shrugged. There was no point in disagreeing with her. If she thought that then fine. I would go along with it. It would be a ridiculous thing to fight over. "You see my boyfriend broke up with me this morning, just before first period, and I've been moody all day." Jessica explained. Ah, I had hit the nail on the head in lunch.

"That sucks." I commented. It seemed the thing to say. "And you've been a lot nicer than the people at my old school in Venice. They all thought that I was a freak." Jessica's eyes brightened at that.

"Really? You lived in Venice?" She asked in awe. I nodded.

"Yup. I've been all over the world." I said. It was nothing to me, but it appeared that Jessica was really impressed by it.

"What do your parents do for a living?" I bit my lip. Um…how did I answer this? It'd been awhile since anyone had been interested in getting to know me. I couldn't remember the cover up story that Demeter and I had made up years ago. Man, I had to look slow to Jessica while I stood trying to come up with something that would sound like it made sense.

"Well…my father is…dead." I said after a couple of moments. That wasn't true. Well, as far as I knew it wasn't, but I didn't have a clue to who my father was. It was just like the mystery with my mother. I know that someone must have given birth to me. There was no way that I could have just dropped out of the sky. Everything was created by something else. That was the only definite logic in the world. The only reality.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Jessica said with a deep sympathy in her voice.

"He died a few months after I was born, so I don't remember him at all." I said, surprised that these lies were slipping out of my mouth so easily. And I was convincing! Who knew that I would ever be able to do that? "My…mom was really upset over it, and so we moved to Phoenix when I was two." That sounded probable. "We stayed there for a few years, and she started her own little store."

"What did she sell?" Damn, Jessica was into asking a lot of question.

"Oh, this and that." I replied like it was common knowledge.

"Does she still own it?"

"Oh, yeah. She even has her own chain of stores all over the country." I said, hopeful that she wouldn't inquire for the name of the store. It must have been my lucky day because she didn't. She just said,

"How cool." And that was the end of that.

"Yup." I said, trying to fill the silence that had fallen between us. I rocked a little on the balls of my feet. "So…I should be getting home. My…mom has to be worried about me. You know it being my first day and all." I didn't like calling Demeter my mother. It's not that I thought that she was a bad one. No, she was incredible. I would love it if she had been the one to spawn me. It was just that Persephone might overhear me saying it one day, and then all holy hell would break lose. She was so jealous of the woman that she tried like a doormat. I didn't understand it, but Persephone was a hard bitch to comprehend, and I wasn't the only one to believe that.

"I still feel horrible." Jessica told me.

"I said—"

"I know, but that doesn't take it back." Jessica said, cutting me off. "And I want to make it up to you."

"OK." What did she have in mind?

"I'm having a party this Saturday, and I was wondering if you would like to come?" Jessica offered. My mouth opened a little.

"A party?" I asked. Was she for real?

"Yeah. It won't be that big. Just a few of my friends, and some other people that I feel like inviting." Jessica said.

"I'm not sure." I mumbled. It wasn't that I was scared of hanging out with people, but I didn't know any of them. I would look so out of place. Did I really want to put myself through that?

"Please." Jessica begged with her bottom lip pushed out. I groaned. How could I say no to the puppy dog eyes that she had focused on me?

"I'll ask my…mom." I said, giving in. Jessica squealed with joy, and ran over to hug me. I stared at her in shock. This was not what I had been expecting. Not at all. She squeezed me tighter, and I patted her on the back. I wasn't uncomfortable with her touching me. I was just stunned. She was being so nice even though her heart was broken. That was pretty interesting. I couldn't have done it. I had been a wreck after my first, and only, boyfriend had parted ways with me. That had been close to a hundred years ago, and, yes, I was over it, but I still thought about him every once in awhile. He was my best friend even to this day. I hadn't seen him in so long, but the bond that we shared would last for eternity. I was positive that it would.

Jessica pulled away from me. "I take it your not a hugger." She commented.

"Well, I—"

"Don't worry about it. Not all of my friends are as touchy-feely as me. I'm used to it." Jessica said brightly. I cocked my head to the side. Was she implying that I was her friend?

"Alright." I was a little dizzy from all that was coming out of her mouth, but I smiled anyways, and she returned an even bigger one.

"You're really going to like Forks, Bella." She declared. I nodded.

"I sure hope so."

"You will." Jessica said with confidence. She wouldn't think that if she knew what I really was, and knew the reason why I was at Forks. Jessica wouldn't want to be around me if she had that information. I would be a complete loner if anyone ever knew the truth about me, but they never would. It was a secret that I was too scared to share.

"Well, I really have to be going." I said as I opened up the Thunderbird's door once again.

"OK. See you tomorrow, Bella." Jessica waved. I waved back, and then climbed into the vehicle. I shut the door and then put the key into the ignition. "Bye!" I heard Jessica yell just before I turned on the car. I couldn't help but be a little giddy as I pulled out of the school's parking lot and onto Second Street. I had a new friend. Someone actually liked me, and she had even invited me to a party that she was throwing. That was good for being the new girl. I was off to a great start.

It took me about ten minutes to get home, and the first thing that I did as soon as I walked through the door was run to the kitchen. My stomach was throwing a fit. It wasn't used to me skipping meals, for I always ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But that didn't seem like it was going to be the case anymore. There was no way that I was going to eat the filth that the school served. It was disgusting. I would rather starve than put myself at risk.

I gazed around the pale, lime green room; looking for the simplest thing to shove into my mouth. I spotted a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips, and practically dived at the back counter to get them. I almost ripped open the bag in my haste for food, but that didn't make me slow down. I shoved a fist into the wide hole at the top, and greedily pulled out a handful of chips. I stuffed them into my mouth and chewed like a maniac. The chips were mostly in tack as I tried to swallow them. The bolus was a tad bit too big for my throat, and I began to choke.

"Bella, don't be a pig." Demeter said as she walked into the kitchen. She saw that I was in need, and quickly made her way over to help me. She slapped me hard on the back, and with the added force I was able to swallow the mass. "Better?"

"Yes." I coughed.

"Take your time." She warned. I nodded vigorously, and reached into the bag for some more chips. "Why are you so hungry?" She asked. I held up my hand to tell her to wait a moment as I calmly ate my food.

"I didn't eat lunch." I said after my mouth was clear. Demeter raised an eyebrow.

"And why not?" She sounded peeved.

"The stuff was horrible." I explained, making a funny face at the thought of it. "I'm not going to get food poisoning. I refuse!"

"It can't be that bad."

"That's what you think." I scoffed. She rolled her eyes. I ignored it. "I think I've found my weakness." I went on, pulling out a single chip. My stomach wasn't growling as loudly now that it had something to digest.

"And that is?"

"Cafeteria food." I told her. That made Demeter laugh. "What? That could be it."

"So that would make you the goddess of gourmet food?" Demeter was holding her sides as she cracked up. I shrugged.

"It's possible." I said, trying my hardest not to laugh with her. She had one of those laughs that just made you want to giggle along. It was very infectious.

"No, no, no." Demeter said.

"Why do you say that?!" I cried.

"Because," Demeter stopped speaking as she wiped away a tear or two that had fallen from her eyes. "Because that would just be stupid, and, plus, you aren't seventeen yet." She finished.

"I could be an early bloomer." I suggested as I stared into the chip bag. I was looking for a folded up one. I always tried to eat them first. It was just out of habit.

"That's never happened, and it never will." Demeter said. I stuck out my tongue.

"Ruin my fun why don't you." I said sarcastically.

"I will." Demeter countered. I angrily pulled out a chip that I had been eying and popped it into my mouth. I chewed it as slowly as I could, letting the silence engulf the two of us. Then when I was done with it, I put down the Salt and Vinegar bag, and went to one of the bags on the floor for a cup. I got a tall, plastic one, set it on the island that was in the middle of the kitchen, and rooted through the refrigerator for the carton of orange juice that was in there. I found it behind the gallon of milk, and poured myself a glass.

"Good stuff." I said as I took a sip of it. I put the carton back into the refrigerator and closed it. "So…" I took another sip of my juice. "Did you speak with Erebus?"

"I did." Demeter said. Her tone was guarded. She knew that I was about to pry, and didn't want me to get under the tough shell that she had around the subject. Ah well. I was still going to try.

"Did he confirm your suspicions?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Her eyes darkened as she said that. I gave her a look, but she shook her head. "No, Bella. I will not tell you."

"But it seems like it might concern me." I whined. Demeter put her hands on her hips, and squared her shoulders.

"It does not!" She snipped. I bit my lip. Oops. I was starting to piss her off. Her quick temper was once again lit. "It's Zeus's problem right now, and he can handle it."

"But what if he can't?" I knew that it was best for me to shut up, but I was curious. And my curiosity always got the best of me.

"He will!" Demeter shouted. I took a step back.

"How do you know?" I countered, but it wasn't as a challenge.

"I don't, Bella." Demeter admitted. Her anger died down just a bit as her face took on an expression that was close to despair. I felt for my guardian. What ever was up had to be really bad, though she was one to sometimes take the pessimistic side on situations. Not that I could blame her. Things had a way of turning out for the worst more times than the good. "And I'm very worried, but I'm praying that Zeus will be able to get this under control."

"And if he doesn't?" I pressed. Demeter sighed.

"I don't want to think about that right now." She said. Demeter was no longer furious with me. The flame had died away.

"Sorry." I said, feeling really crummy. What right did I have to be so pushy? She was already under a lot of stress, and I was just heaping on more and more. Was I really that ungrateful? Damn me.

"It's OK, Bella." Demeter told me. She gave me a small grin. "I know that you can't help wanting this information. And it must be torture not knowing, but I do promise that once you claim your powers you will be told everything. Nothing will be a secret."

"That's six months from now." I growled slightly.

"It'll pass by quickly." Demeter said. I picked up my glass of orange juice and the chips.

"Yeah." I wasn't too hopeful. Time had a way of going slow for me. "Well, I want to go watch some TV."

"Alright, Bella." And with those parting words I walked out of the kitchen, not really in the mood for my drink, food, or the TV, but it was something to do. Something to keep my mind from the annoying interest that swelled inside of me like a caged beast ready to leap out. What would happen once I set it free? Would I be able to control it? Would it want to be tamed?


	8. My Doll

**Another chapter done in the third-person. This one is much shorter than the other one, but I think that you all will like it. At least I hope so. Lol. Thanks to those of you that have reviewed my story so far. Twelve! Squee! I love you, and keep on making me squee, please. **

"Here," Jane said in a low voice as she placed a cool rag across her twin brother's ashen forehead. She pulled the dark covers up to his chin, and placed a kiss on his oddly warm cheek. Vampires were supposed to be cold. The warmth was very disturbing, and told of the great power that Bella held within her. Jane clenched her fist against the seat of the wooden stool that she was sitting on; making an indent where her fingers curled around the edge. If she ever got her hands on that young god's throat she was going to drain her dry. Screw what Aro had planned. Bella had made an enemy the moment she had thought of harming Alec. Things had just gotten very personal, and Jane was going to get her revenge someday. Anyway that she would be able to find. "That should help make you feel better."

"You don't have to do this." Alec told her. His voice was weak, but not shaky like it had been a week ago. "I'll be fine."

"Don't be foolish." Jane cooed as she wiped the bead of water that was traveling down his face from the wet cloth. "I know the hell that you're going through."

"You should be guarding Aro." Alec said, sighing. "That is your duty."

"Nonsense. Demetri is well skilled, and should have no problem taking my place as well for awhile. You can't get over this by yourself. You need my assistance, and, besides, I'm pissed at Aro." Jane growled. Alec turned his head toward her. His completely black eyes grazed her face before he closed them slowly. Jane winced. He needed blood. The desire for it blazed in the eerie coal that had replaced the beautiful red that his eyes had once been. Soon he would lose his mind if he didn't feed, but Alec couldn't. His body was not accepting any of the hosts that she had provided for him the past few days. It was another side effect of what Bella had done to him. Hopefully it would wear off shortly. Jane didn't know how she would take it if her beloved brother went insane. That would be the end of him. Aro wouldn't allow for an unstable vampire to be in the Volturi. It would be too dangerous, and Aro was all about caution.

"That was my choice." Alec almost whispered. "I was the one who wanted to go after the two."

"And it was a stupid one!" Jane shouted, not meaning to, but she was very upset. Alec shook his head.

"I didn't want you to get hurt again." He explained. "She's already harmed you once before."

"With the two of us we could have overpowered her." Jane pointed out. "Our power together does more than match hers. She's not an adult yet. She would be easy to take down. We're a team, Alec. We always have been. Why this time did you have to go alone?"

"I suggested that he would be the best to push my plan into motion." Aro's voice reached Jane's ears. She whipped around to find his willowy body frame standing in the shadowed doorway of Alec's room. She hissed in his direction with deep scorn. "Down, my little ankle biter." Aro smiled, seeming amused by her manners.

"I hold you at fault for what has happened to Alec." She spit.

"And I take the blame." Aro replied, moving into the room. He was quick for an ancient being, and made no noise as his footsteps glided across the stone floor. He stopped just beside Jane. "Do you think that I don't feel bad that one of my most precious treasures is injured?" Aro asked, gently running a wrinkled finger down Jane's cheekbone. She pulled away from him, and raked him with a bone chipping glare.

"If you cared you wouldn't have sent him out there." She declared.

"I told you that was my decision." Alec coughed, his eyes fluttering open.

"But he should have discouraged you." Jane barked. It wasn't at Alec. All her anger was now focused on Aro and what he had done. "You don't give a rat's ass about us!"

"I don't?" Aro raised an eyebrow. "Who's the one that took you away from that horrible monster known as your father? Who's the one that took you into the shelter of his home? Who raised you with all the love that a he could possibly muster? Who has looked after you for all of these years?" Aro demanded, though his voice was calm but in a very forbidding way. "I'll tell you. Me! I have been the closest thing to a father that the two of you have ever had. And you dare to think that I don't care about you? That I hold no feelings?"

"Yes." Jane said, not backing down. Aro would not strike her. She held too much charm over him. She could have him groveling at her feet if she chose to have it that way, but she didn't. Jane would get no pleasure from making Aro act as a sniveling worm.

"No…" Aro trailed off. He studied Jane closely. She tried to avoid his probing stare, but it was difficult. "Something else is the problem." Aro affirmed after a moment. "What is it, my doll?" Jane tried to ignore him. "Tell me."

"Why did you choose him?" Jane asked in a small tone, giving in to him. She wasn't talking about Alec this time. It was something completely different; the real reason for all her great anger toward Aro.

"Ah, the mission that I have him on." Aro nodded, grasping onto what she was saying.

"Yes." Jane agreed; staring down at her feet. They barely touched the floor, but that was to be expected in any chair that she sat in. Jane was forever stuck in the body of an eight-year-old, just as Alec was. That was the age that Aro had turned them at all those years ago. She still remembered the night that Aro and his guards had come into her village to drain the whole of them dry. The only reason he had spared her and Alec had been because of their father. He had walked into their house at a certain moment and had attacked in a blink of an eye at seeing what was being done to the two of them. Jane and Alec had hid in the corner while they watched their only relative get blooded. And after Aro had finished him off he had turned to them, but something in their faces had made him stop and instead of killing them, Aro had made them immortal. If truth was told Jane did love Aro as much as she loved Alec. He had given her everything, and adored her like a princess. He respected her and her brother like no other vampire had ever seen, or ever would. Aro had given them a life that was rich beyond compare, and yet this one thing denied from her made that all appear worthless. "I'm much older than him. I have more experience."

"True, my dear, but you aren't what this part of the plan calls for." Aro told her.

"And why is that?" Jane requested, snapping out of the daze that she been in.

"You aren't male." Aro said.

"So?" Jane asked, glaring again. He made it sound like she couldn't handle it because she was a girl. She was as strong, if not stronger, than any male guard that he had in his command. She was terror wrapped into a tiny package, the worst kind out there. "What can he do that I can't?"

"Have you ever been in love?" Aro quizzed, his filmy eyes getting glossy. He was completely by passing what she had asked. Jane turned to give Alec a look, one that he returned back. Aro caught it. "Of course you haven't." He said, answering his own question. "Not that that's a bad thing."

"You want him to fall in love with Bella?" Jane was confused. "Why?"

"Punishment, my doll." Aro said with a chuckle to his voice. "He deserves punishment for past mistakes."

"Love is his punishment?" Jane didn't understand. What was Aro thinking? How could something like love be a punishment? He deserved something more horrible than that. Love was like a reward for his actions. "Won't that ruin this all? It'll be like all this was for nothing." Jane said, now wondering about Aro's sanity. Could he be losing it?

Aro shook his head as if he had heard what was on her mind. "You'll see, my dear," he promised. "You'll see."


	9. Half Hour

**Chapter Nine is in. Sorry it's taken me a bit longer than usual. I've had a lot of homework and I've been sick. It sucks, but I know that all of you are waiting for this, so here it is. I pray that all of you like this chapter, and please review. Thanks, and I love you all. **

Amazingly the rest of the week passed by in a hazy blur. I was so busy trying to do the homework that all my teachers weighed down on my shoulders just so that I could catch up with everyone else that I didn't notice how fast time was really going. One day I was sitting at the lunch table with Jessica, Mike, Tyler, Eric, and Angela (all the drama between Mike and Jessica had ended on Wednesday, so the whole group had turned their focus to me). I was working on the chapter assignment that Mr. Wineberg had given my class when all of a sudden I looked up, and sort of stared off into space.

"It's Friday, right?" I asked the group.

"Duh." Tyler laughed as he waved a French fry in Eric's direction. "Earth to Bella. Where have you been?"

"I think the moon." I joked, putting down my blue pen. Biology homework could wait. I had done three hours of it last night. It was time for a much needed break even if it was only for a couple of minutes. "Wow. Friday."

"Yes and tomorrow's my party!" Jessica exclaimed. Her eyes were bright, and I if I didn't know her I wouldn't have been able to guess that she had just suffered a devastating break from her boyfriend of three years. Jessica was just so happy and cheery. Part of that could have been because she didn't want us to worry about her and was pretending to be OK, but I doubted that. Jessica didn't strike me as that good of an actress.

"You don't mind if I bring Lauren, do you?" Tyler asked Jessica. Jessica wrinkled up her nose.

"Lauren Mallory?" Angela gazed up from the book that she was reading. Tyler nodded.

"Oh I really don't want her there." Jessica commented with a sour look upon her face. "That girl is such a…well; you guys can fill in the blank with whatever makes you happy."

"She is not!" Tyler declared.

"You only think that because you have a crush on her." Eric teased as he reached across the table and stole a French fry off Tyler's plate. Tyler swatted his hand a napkin that he held.

"So?" Tyler's voice was defensive. "What's the deal if I like her? She's hot."

"So is a stove, but I'm not going to drool all over it." Eric said. I snickered even though his joke was pretty lame. I couldn't help it. Eric and Tyler was a very amusing pair. I could watch the two of them bicker all day, and not get bored.

"Ha. Ha." Eric said sarcastically. He turned to Mike who was on his left. "What do you think of Lauren Mallory?" Mike shrugged.

"I really don't care." Mike said, keeping his gaze down. He was avoiding Jessica, just like she had him on Monday. I couldn't understand why. _He_ had broken up with _her_, not the other way around. He should be smiling and acting like Jessica was. Unless, of course, he now regretted his decision. If that was the case then Mike did deserve to feel awkward and ashamed. Jessica was a very lovely girl, and he was stupid to not want her. "It's all up to Jessica anyway."

"Fine." Tyler pouted, seemingly not happy about the answer that Mike had given him. "I won't invite her."

"No, go ahead." Jessica told him.

"What?" Tyler brightened. Jessica sighed.

"I said that you can bring her."

"Yes!" Tyler cheered.

"How nice of you." Angela said before going back to her book.

"Yes. I love you, Jessie." Tyler said, getting up from his seat so that he could run around the table and give Jessica a tight hug. She shoved him off of her.

"I just did it so that you won't whine all night tomorrow." Jessica countered.

"Well, I really don't care for your reasons." Tyler said, sitting back down in his chair. "I'll be with Lauren so that's all that matters."

"Gag me." Erick made the motions with his spoon. He turned to me. "You plan on taking anyone, Bella?"

I shook my head. "Nope. You, Tyler, and Mike are the only guys that I've spoken to this week." I said.

"So?" Jessica quizzed. "You could just ask some random guy out. Maybe it'll be love at first sight."

"Sure." I rolled my eyes. "No, I think I'll go alone."

"Oh, well, be a spoiled sport." Jessica said to me. I really didn't have a comment for that, so I just went back to my homework. For the rest of the period Jessica talked with Eric and Tyler about what she was having for food at the party, and I finished the assignment. At the end of lunch I got up, and waited for Jessica to dump her tray. Then the two of us walked to Biology together, where she continued to go on about her party. I just nodded my head and smiled, and did my best at trying to act excited. Truthfully I was very nervous. This was my first party. Sad, I know, but I had never been given the opportunity before this. I knew that I wasn't going to make a fool of myself, but it would still be odd hanging out with people that I didn't have any clue about. What would I say? And how much fun would I have? I pondered all this for the next three periods, and even on my home. It was all that I could think about.

I walked through the front door of my house, met up with Demeter in the living room, told her of the plans that I had for the weekend, and then went up to my bare room. I threw my backpack down onto the floor, and bounced onto my bed. I laid there for awhile just thinking about nothing in particular and soon I fell off into a dreamless slumber.

"Why are you leaving now?" Demeter asked me as I picked up the keys to the Thunderbird off the island. It was Saturday and I was about to go over to Jessica's. "I thought the party didn't start till seven." I took a glance at the clock on the wall. It was just a little bit after five.

"I promised Jessica that I would help her set things up." I said, checking my shoes to make sure that they were tied.

"I'm not really sure about this, Bella." Demeter told me. I looked up from my shoes, and saw the deep worry in her eyes. I sighed.

"I'll be OK." I promised her. "I don't think Aro's going to attack me when I'm surrounded by all the people that are going to be there."

"True, but still…" Demeter didn't look convinced. I slumped my shoulders into a hunch. How else could I reassure her? She was going to have to just trust me; even though both of us knew that there was no way that Aro could have found us this early. The minimum time that it took him was a month and a half. We had only been in Forks for two weeks. We still had a month before we really had to start checking the shadows in the room for unwanted guest. I moved over to where Demeter stood and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll be OK." I said again. "And I'll call a couple of times, is that alright?"

"I guess." Demeter said, realizing that nothing she could say would make me stay with her. I felt a little bad about that, but I wanted to have some fun. Didn't I deserve to have a good time for once?

"Thanks." I said, giving her another kiss. "I love you."

"Love you, too." Demeter returned, and with those words I walked out of the house. Outside it was cloudy, and the sky threatened to pour down on me. I debated for a moment on whether or not I should go back and grab my blue jean jacket, but then I decided against it. I was going to be inside for the night anyways. My long-sleeved shirt would be enough. Or at least I hoped so.

I got into the car and after checking to see where Jessica lived (she had written her address down on a slip of paper for me after gym yesterday) I started off toward her house. Her house was located on the other side of town, and it didn't take me long to find the faded brown, two-story house that was to be the location of the party. It was good sized, and had a comfy way about it. It was certainly a family home. I parked the Thunderbird in the driveway next to the vehicle that I had seen Jessica come to school in a couple of times. Just as I was out of the car Jessica came barreling out of the house, and ran over to meet me.

"Hi!" She said, slightly breathless.

"HI." I said back, shutting the car door.

"So you ready?" Jessica asked. I nodded, and she smiled. "Great because we have a ton of stuff to do." She took a hold of my hand, and led me to the front door. The moment that we entered the front hallway, a loud bark greeted us. I turned to my left to see a medium sized, tan husky. He had his amber eyes focused on me, and his ears were back.

"Hi, puppy." I cooed in his direction. The dog barked again, though this time it was a little bit louder.

"Oh, be nice, Rambo." Jessica told the husky. Rambo whined, but stopped his barking. "He's really harmless." Jessica said to me. "Just give him a treat and you'll be his best friend." Rambo's ears picked up at the sound of that. "You want a treat?" Jessica asked him. Rambo woofed with a nod of his head. "Alright, boy. Let's go to the kitchen." Rambo ran from the room in a hurry. "You want to make another friend?"

"Sure." I laughed.

"Kay." Jessica said, and led me from the hall. We went through the living room and the dining room, and in a matter of no time I was standing in a good sized kitchen. It was salmon color, but looked liked it was painted a rotten peach in the dim light. Rambo was on the other side of the kitchen, sitting by a set of cabinets. I gathered that was where his treats were located at. Jessica made her way over to him, with me in tow. She opened the top drawer, and pulled out a light blue bag. Rambo's tail began to wag. "You really want this, boy?"

"Woof!" Rambo said with enthusiasm.

"Here," Jessica handed me the bag. I took out a smelly treat that was supposed to be beef flavored, and held it for Rambo to see. When I was certain that I had his attention, I threw the treat and he caught it in his mouth.

"Good, boy!" I said, patting him on the head. Rambo sniffed my hand, and then licked it. I had to grin at his affection for me.

"See." Jessica put the treats back into the drawer. "He loves you now." And as if to confirm what Jessica had just said, Rambo jumped up on his back paws and pressed his nose to my cheek.

"Aw. Thank you, Rambo." I said, scratching him under his chin. He jumped down, and sat by the cabinet again.

"No." Jessica told him. "One treat is enough."

"Woof!"

"No!" Jessica scolded. Rambo lowered his head. "Now why don't you leave the room, boy. Bella and I need to work." Rambo didn't move. Jessica pointed toward the dining room. "Go, Rambo." She said in a firm tone. Reluctantly Rambo did so. After he was gone, Jessica turned to me. "Time for work."

"Oh, goodie." I said just before she handed me a broom. I swept the bathroom and kitchen while Jessica vacuumed the rest of the rooms downstairs. Then we took care of the garbage, moved the furniture out of the living room (that was to be the dance floor and such), and picked up a few things that could be a potential hazard to partying teens. After that, Jessica had me put out the bags of chips and things of pop. "Are you sure this will be enough?" I asked. There were only three bags of chips, and five Mountain Dews.

"It won't." Jessica assumed as she wiped down the counters. "But Tyler and Eric promised to bring a lot more."

"Oh." I found another washcloth and followed what Jessica was doing. "So are your parents going to be here?" This was a question that had been on my mind for some time, but we had been too busy for me to ask it. Now was the perfect time. There were only a few minutes before seven, and the arrival of the first guests.

"They'll be home at around eleven." Jessica said to me, throwing her washcloth into the sink. "They're at a movie and going out to dinner afterwards."

"Sounds like fun." I commented.

"Not as much fun as we're going to have!" Jessica was now getting giddy with excitement. I smiled at her.

"Yes." I agreed.

"How do I look?" Jessica asked. I glanced her over. She was stunning in her tight black skirt and low-cut top, and I told her so. "Thanks, Bella."

"Any time." I said. The doorbell rang, and Rambo started to bark. Jessica squealed.

"They're starting to come!" She shouted, and then ran for the front hallway. I stayed behind, and waited for her to bring the people into the kitchen. A few moments later she did, and I greeted Angela and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney, warmly. They did the same back.

"Ben, this is Bella. Bella, this is Ben." Angela introduced us.

"Hi." The two of us said in unison. The doorbell rang again, and Jessica took off once more. Rambo ran into the room, and started to sniff at Angela and Ben. It seemed that he had met the two of them before.

"Hey, guys." Tyler's voice drifted in. "I brought some more stuff."

"Great." I said, moving to take the bag that he handed out to me.

"Rambo, get out." Jessica yelled at the husky. Rambo gave her puppy dog eyes. "No, come on." She said, grabbing a hold of his collar. She pulled him from the room, and came back a minute later. "I had to lock him down in the basement." Jessica explained to us.

"Oh." I felt kind of bad for him, but I could understand why she would do so. He could be a problem later on. I took all the stuff out of the bag that Tyler had brought and arranged it with the other things. Angela came over and helped me. "You don't have to." I said, though I was really thankful for the extra hand.

"I want to do it." Angela told me. "Ben will want to talk with Eric, and Tyler is dancing with Lauren in the living room."

"Already?" There were hardly any people yet.

"Yup." Angela nodded. I shrugged. Well, that was what this party was for, wasn't it? Dancing was a huge part of it.

I started to open a couple of the bag of chips open, and more and more people began to arrive. I was introduced to half of them, but I couldn't remember their names. I hung out in the kitchen most of the time with the food and fuzzy drinks, though I didn't have any. I sipped on some water from a plastic cup; knowing that I had to look really lame. I couldn't help it. I was really uncomfortable, and didn't really want to leave the sanctuary that the kitchen offered to me. Jessica had to literally drag me from it an hour after all the guests had shown up.

"I'm happy there!" I exclaimed as she forced me into the living room.

"I don't care." She almost snapped. "You're going to dance." And with that she pushed me out onto the makeshift dance floor. I stumbled into the moving bodies. There were only thirty or so, but it felt like so much more. I wrapped my arms around myself, for Jessica had made me leave my water in the kitchen, and kind of moved my feet. What I did couldn't be classified as dancing, but I was moving, which seemed to make Jessica satisfied when she looked over at me. I did that for the rest of the song, and then hurriedly made my way over to the corner when the next song came on.

"Are you hiding?" A light voice asked from my side. I jumped, and turned to face the source of it. When I did so I groaned. It was the nymph from my Biology class. Just who I needed to see.

"What are you doing here?" I barked, mad that he had made me jump right out of my skin.

"I asked you a question first, and it would be rude for you not to answer." The nymph replied, ignoring what I had just questioned. I bit my lip, trying to keep my annoyance under control.

"It's none of your business why I'm in the corner." I snipped. That made him smile, and I got a clear view of the beautiful set of teeth that his mouth held. That pissed me off even more. Stupid, perfect nymph! Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Couldn't he tell that I was in no mood to speak with him? Why was he so persistent?

"Have I done something to you, Bella?"

"No." I was taken aback by that.

"Then why do you have such a problem with me?" The nymph quizzed. That made me take a couple of steps back in surprise.

"I don't." I lied. The nymph caught that note in my tone and a look of disbelief crossed his gorgeous face. I fought the impulse to slap myself across the forehead. Great. My horrible lying skills were doing me no good. "Well, I don't have one with you. But it's…just your kind."

"My kind?" The nymph raised an eyebrow. Shit! I was digging myself into a deep hole.

"I meant that you're a…a…pretty boy." I offered as a cover up.

"Oh." The nymph nodded as if to understand what I was getting at. I sighed in relief. He had bought that. I was safe for now. "So you assume that because I'm great looking I have to be an asshole." The nymph said with great certainty.

"Exactly." I agreed. The nymph frowned.

"But you don't even know me."

"That doesn't matter." I countered. "Experience has taught me that, and I'll stick with what I'm positive about."

"Why don't we just talk for awhile?" The nymph pressured. I shook my head. There was no way that I was going to get to know a nymph. There was nothing that he could do to prove me wrong about him. "And I'll show you that I'm not that bad of a guy."

"No…" I trailed off. I didn't know his name.

"Edward. My name is Edward Newton." The nymph, Edward, told me, catching on to the reason I had stopped talking.

"Well, Edward Newton, I said no. I do not want to talk with you." And with that I turned and started off in the opposite direction. I had no clue where I as going, but any place would be better than standing with Edward. I was mad at myself for losing my cool around him. He was just a nymph. I shouldn't allow his undeserved arrogance to get under my skin, but I couldn't help it. Nymphs were incredibly frustrating, and I was always at a boil around them. They were by biggest pet peeves.

I went through the dancing crowd, and was almost on the in the dinning room, when I felt something touch my shoulder. I whipped around and was face-to-face with Edward. I opened my mouth to yell at him, but Edward held up his hand.

"Let me speak." He said. I closed my mouth, but glared at him. "I just want to get to know you a little bit, Bella. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yes." I growled, but a part of me was suddenly intrigued to why he was so keen at chatting to me. I was being as rude as possible, and yet that didn't to turn him off from me. What the flip? Why was I so interesting? He couldn't tell that I was a god. I knew that. Edward wouldn't know that unless I told him, or someone else did, but that was never going to happen. So what was it?

"Why?" Edward pressured.

"Because…because…" I didn't have a good excuse.

"See." Edward pointed out, catching the fact that I didn't have a reason. At least not one that he would believe. "Just give me a half hour. That's all that I want."

"I…well, alright." I gave in. What else was I to do? He wouldn't leave me alone until I gave him what he wanted. "A half hour. That's all that you have."


	10. Leather Jacket

**Hey everyone. This is chapter ten, but before you read I would like to answer a couple of questions that people asked me. Yes, Edward's last name is Newton, or so he says. The Cullens are in this story, but not till later. And to whether or not Edward is a nymph...well, you have to read on to find out. Lol. The suspense! Anyways. Here's the chapter, and I hope that I get some reviews for it. *hint. hint***

The moment that I agreed to give Edward the time that he had asked for, he gently took a hold of my elbow and led me toward the kitchen. I didn't say anything as he maneuvered me around the few dancing bodies that were in the dinning room. We made it out into the hardly crowded kitchen, and I expected him to stop next to the back cupboards, but I was wrong. Edward went past the cupboards to the mud room, and opened the door that was there. I raised an eyebrow.

"We're going outside?" I asked, puzzled. He smiled.

"I thought it would be easier for us to talk if there wasn't the distraction of music around us." He explained with a shrug.

"Oh." I muttered. I really didn't want to be outside with him. I would have preferred to talk to him in a brightly lit room with tons of people in the area to see us, but I had to admit that it was better than him taking me to a room upstairs. I would have freaked out, and probably kicked his ass. That was a definite NO!

"Ladies first." Edward said, indicating with his left arm for me to go before him. I rolled my eyes at his cheesy line, but stepped out onto the back porch. It was lit by a single light bulb that hung over the door's frame; casting a mellow glow onto the surrounding area. And a thin layer of frost covered the boards; making it very slippery. After a quick scan of the scene before me, I noticed that on the other side of the porch were three steps that led to the tiny backyard. I decided that that would be a good place to sit down and chat at, but as I was making my way over to the spot, I lost my footing. I felt myself starting to fall, and instinctively put out my hands to help lessen the blow that I was sure to come to my knees.

Out of nowhere I felt something grab my hand, and jerk me into an upright position. I turned to my side and was greeted by the grinning face of Edward.

"Better be careful." He warned with much humor in his voice. That pissed me off, and I tore my hand away from his extremely cool one.

"I was perfectly fine!" I growled. That made him chuckle deeply.

"Sure you were, Bella." Edward laughed.

"I was!" I protested, though that did nothing to help aid me. Edward just shook his head at my words.

"The least you could do is thank me for assisting you." He told me. I glared daggers at him.

"I will not." I snapped at him. Edward held his hands up in front of his chest in a way that made it seem like I was about to attack him.

"Have it your way then."

"That's what I was planning on." I snipped.

Edward sighed. "Bella, I was doing you a favor. You don't have to thank me. I promise that it won't break my heart. So why don't we go sit on those stairs?" He pointed at them. I nodded sharply, and then went for the three stairs; though this time I was gingerly taking my footsteps. I didn't want Edward to feel the need to have to 'rescue' me again. I reached the stairs, and then eased myself down to the damp wood. Edward did the same, and an awkward silence soon engulfed the both of us. I folded my hands into my lap, and stared off in the opposite direction of Edward. I examined the tiny yard before the two of us. It had a couple of rose bushes, a bare pear tree, and a table that was made for small children. I knew that it wasn't for Jessica's siblings. She didn't have any, so I had to figure that it was for kids that visited her, like family. Not that I really cared, but it was something to think about that wasn't focused on the nymph sitting right beside me.

While I sat there in uncomfortable silence with Edward I started to shake a little as a slight breeze fluttered into the area. Edward must have been looking at me and caught this because he slinked out of his black leather jacket, and put it around my shoulders before I had a chance to tell him that he couldn't.

"Take it back." I told him, though the jacket provided instant warmth against the chilly air, but I felt uncomfortable with something of his on me. I made to take it off of me.

"No, Bella. You're cold." Edward disagreed, stopping me from doing so.

"I'll live," I countered. "And what about you? Won't you be cold if I have this?" I glanced him over. He was wearing a simple dark t-shirt, and didn't appear to mind the wind that was causing goose bumps on my cheeks.

"I'll live." Edward repeated my words with a devilish grin that was quite charming. "I want you to have the jacket, and I won't take no for an answer." The grin disappeared quickly and was replaced with a stern expression; telling me that I was going to have to suck up my pride and accept the jacket. I mumbled a few choice phrases under my breath, but pulled it tighter around me. "Getting warmer?"

"Yes." I grumbled.

"I knew that you would." He said with a touch of arrogance. That made me fume just a bit more, and I purposefully checked my wristwatch.

"We've been out here for ten minutes. Only twenty left. Now what do you want to talk about?" I asked, wanting to rush this session of annoyance. Edward bit his lips, and tapped his chin a couple of times.

"How about you?" He suggested. "You seem to be a very interesting topic." I shook my head.

"I would rather not."

"Why?" Edward asked with curiosity in his eyes.

"My life is very personal." I replied, avoiding his probing stare.

"There has to be something that you can tell me." Edward pried. "What about your parents? Do you live with both of them?"

"No." I answered, afraid that I might give away too much. Edward was not satisfied with my one word answer, and pressed on.

"Well, who do you live with?" I sighed. He wasn't going to give up, was he? I was going to have to give him just enough to make him shut up, but nothing more. Demeter would kill me.

"My…mom." I told him. "My father died soon after I was born."

"Oh, that's very sad. I'm sorry for your loss." Edward said with sincerity. I shrugged.

"I don't remember him at all, so I really can't say that a part of me is missing."

"But you have to wonder what life would be like if he was here with you now." Edward said with a note in his voice that caught my interest. I gazed at him closely. Had similar things happened to both of us? Did we have something in common? Could I find related ground with Edward? _No!_ My inner voice shouted. _You two are not alike! He's a nymph and you're a god. You come from different ends of life, and don't you ever forget that! _ It screeched with force. I cowered slightly under its tone, but it did have a point. Edward and I could never be kindred spirits. It was just impossible, though I had thought that nymphs would never be interested in learning, but Edward was at my school. He was a rare kind of nymph, but that didn't mean that the two of us were going to become best buddies.

"I do." I said after a few moments of quietness. "But I can't change the past, no matter how much I wish I could."

"Yeah." Edward agreed softly. "I know what you mean." That made me even more interested in what his past held for him, but I could never ask him. That would jeopardize Demeter and me, and I would never do anything to put her in harm.

"Do you live with your parents?" I asked Edward, wondering what his answer might be.

"No. My parents live in New York." Edward said. I cocked my head to the side.

"But you live here?" It was sort of a lame story, but he couldn't really tell me that his mother was a tree spirit and his father was a horny god that couldn't keep his hands to himself. That would be a little awkward since I was passing myself off as a simple, human high school girl. And if he did tell me that I would have to act like I thought he was crazy and run away. Yeah, not really what I wanted to happen.

"Well certain things happen, and have led me to living out here in Forks." Edward said with bitterness as he stared off into space. I nodded my head, and in my mind figured that he must have been disowned by his parents like most other nymphs. A part of me actually felt sorry for him. Just because nymphs were annoying didn't give their parents a right to treat them like dirt, but gods had a habit of doing that to the things that they didn't want. Like Cyclopes. Those poor creatures were tortured and humiliated by those that should love them. It was messed up, and gave me another reason to want to gut almost every god out there. Asses.

"So you live by yourself?" I quizzed. I was starting to let my guard down, and was a little mad about that, but Edward didn't seem to be like the other nymphs. He actually had more to him than amazing looks. It was a shock, and I wasn't sure how to handle it.

"My parents have people that check up on me, but, yes, I do live by myself." Edward said, and didn't sound happy about it.

"That's…I'm…I guess you're not so much of an ass." I almost whispered out. Edward turned to me, and I shifted my eyes.

"Was that something nice out of your mouth? And was that directed at me?" His gloomy mood was gone, and now he was back to that slightly smug way about him.

"So? I'm not always a bitch." I huffed.

"I never called you one." Edward pointed out.

"You had to be thinking it." I said. I had been acting like a major bitch, and was surprised that he was still sitting at my side. I must be very interesting to him.

"Maybe a little." Edward said with a smile on his face. "But you'll never know."

"I can assume." I joked back with just a hint of grin on my lips. "Though I—"

"_So there in a middle of the pouring rain..." _My cell phone went off quite loudly; cutting off my sentence. I pulled it out of my pants pocket, and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Bella!" Demeter's voice was revealed and pissed as it answered my question. I gave Edward a look that told him that this call was kind of important, and he nodded in understanding.

"Thanks." I mouthed to him just before he got up and walked away to give me some privacy. I turned my attention to Demeter. "What is it?"

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes…mom I'm fine." I told her.

"Mom? Oh, are you around people at the moment?"

"In fact I am, and sorry that I didn't call. I sort of forgot." I said, now remembering what I had promised her before I had left for Jessica's. Oops.

"Well, you had me extremely worried, and I thought that I should check up on you." Demeter said, now starting to sound more like herself.

"Like I said, I'm sorry, but I'm perfectly fine. There's nothing to worry about." Though that was a lie. Aro had never before found us two weeks after going into hiding, but there was always that chance that he might. Not that I was really thinking of that. I was at a party, and that would make me very jumpy. And Jessica was already peeved at me for not wanting to dance.

"OK, so I guess I'll let you go then." Demeter made a noise like a kiss, and then we hung up. I placed my phone back into my pocket, and readjusted Edward's jacket so that it was wrapped around me again. I then looked around for him. He was by the door, leaning up against the side of the house with one of his legs like a prop behind him.

"So that was your mom?" He asked.

"Yeah. I was supposed to call her, but I was a little scattered brained." I said. "My…mom is very protective of me. She didn't even want me to come to this party." I admitted.

"Why?"

"She thinks the world is out to get me, and she isn't used to me having friends that want to hang out with me." I told him.

"What about your boyfriends?" Edward inquired which made me laugh.

"What boyfriends?" I snorted. "No one wants to date me. Wait. I take that back. I did have one boyfriend, but it really didn't work out between us, so we split up. But we're still really good friends, though I haven't seen him in a few years." More like sixty or seventy. "Why do you care?"

"Oh, it was just another thing to talk about. I wanted to get my thirty minutes worth of conversation with you." Edward said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. Did he believe that I had thought that he was trying to make a move on me or something? It would never happen. I might not find him as annoying, but he was still a nymph, and I would never date one. Not even if he paid me.

"That reminds me…" I trailed off as I checked my watch again. "We've been talking for thirty-six minutes."

"You were on the phone with your mom for a minute." Edward pointed out.

"OK. Thirty-five minutes. You happy?"

"Yes." Edward smiled. I shook my head.

"Do you always have to be—" The door near Edward opened, and there stood Jessica.

"Bella, what are you doing…Oh, hi, Edward." She waved at him as she noticed him standing not too far away from her. She gave me a look. "What have the two of you been doing out here?"

"Just talking." I said, not liking what she was implying.

"Sure…" Jessica winked at me. I clenched my fists. What the flip? How could she…well, I was wearing Edward's jacket. That would lead some people to think that we had…Damn him! I wanted to shout as I ripped off his jacket and stood up. I marched toward the two of them, and shoved the leather into Edward's chest.

"Here," I growled, ignoring the chills that were coming back due to the absence of the jacket. "I'm ready to go inside. I want some chips." I lied as I made my way past Jessica into the house. Her and Edward followed me; both of them snickering at the way that I had responded to Jessica's teasing. I paid them no mind as I went for a random bag of chips, and began to stuff them in my mouth. Screw them. I did not like looking like a fool, and planned of giving them the silent treatment for the rest of the night.


	11. Gorgeous Compliment

**This is chapter eleven. Not a very exciting chapter, but a transition one. And I had a few more questions that I thought I could be nice about and answer. No, Edward was does not have any siblings in this story, well none that are alive anyways. And, yes, Carlisle and Esme are in this story, but later on. You'll see, but you have to continue to read on. So read and enjoy, and please review. **

I was true to my word. For the remaining two or so hours left of the party I didn't utter a single word to either Edward or Jessica. I did my best to avoid them, and whenever they came into a room that I was in, I would quickly leave to find another one. I knew that I was acting very childish, but I would not relent. I was never one to give up on a cause no matter how dumb or useless it was. I was pissed at the two of them, and would talk to them when I was damn good and ready, and not a moment before.

The party soon came to an end, and everyone started to pile out of Jessica's house. At first I was going to take off from Jessica's without telling her good-bye, but then thought it over. If I did that then Jessica was going to think that I was really mad at her, and then a fight might break out between the two of us. And I really didn't want to have to deal with the unneeded drama at school on Monday, so I sucked up my pride and decided to make up with her. My wounded pride was better than looking like dupe in front of the others at school. I searched for Jessica in the kitchen, the dining room, and in the living room. All places that I figured she might be in, but I had no such luck in the matter.

"Did you lose something, Bella?" Eric asked me as I was checking the kitchen again. "I could help you if you want." I shook my head, and turned to him.

"No, I'm looking for Jessica." I told him. "Have you seen her anywhere? I can't find her."

"Yeah," he said. "She was headed for the basement last that I remember."

"The basement?" I quizzed. Now why would she be in the…oh, Rambo. "Thanks, Eric." I said, starting to walk out of the room. Eric nodded, and waved.

"Any time, Bella. See you on Monday."

"I'll see you on Monday, Eric!" I called back. I got to the basement door, which wasn't too far from the kitchen (it was right in the dining room), and pulled it open. "Jessica?" I asked the dark space before me. "Jessica, are you down there?" I began to walk the narrow staircase that seemed to lead into an engulfing abyss.

"Bella?" Came Jessica's voice a few feet from me.

"Yes." I answered just as I stepped onto something that felt like carpet. A light flickered on, and I was greeted by the face of my friend and a very happy looking Rambo. When he saw me he barked, and then ran over to eagerly lick my hand. I patted him on the top of his head. "Hey there, puppy." I cooed. That made the tan husky's tail wag even faster. I smiled. He really was an adorable dog. Too bad Demeter wouldn't let me get one. I could really use a companion like him. He was so sweet and giving, and only wanted some love in return. Much better deal than any human or god could offer me.

"What do you want, Bella?" Jessica asked. I focused all my attention on her.

"Everyone's leaving, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry before I took off for home." I said, biting my lip. I prayed that she would accept what I had to say. Jessica raised an eyebrow.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I got kind of bitchy toward you after I came inside, and I shouldn't have been. For that I am really sorry." I repeated. Jessica started to laugh. I frowned. Had I something that I said been funny?

"Bella, you don't have to apologize. I just figured that you can't take people picking on you. Don't worry about it. I really can't, either." She admitted. "I guess you could say that it's sort of a weakness, but don't tell the councilor at school. I don't want to have to put up with her telling me that I have low self-esteem and such."

"Oh. I won't" That was sort of odd, but OK. At least she wasn't upset with me for being mad at her. I could now go home with a clear conscience. "So I'm going to be heading off then if there's nothing to—"

"Can you spend the night?" Jessica randomly blurted out. That took me slightly by surprise. "There's a lot to clean up, and I really don't want to do it all by myself. Please spend the night." Jessica begged. "Please, Bella." I really didn't feel like it, but Jessica had that pleading look upon her face that I couldn't say no to, and in a matter of no time I found myself agreeing to do so. I called Demeter to see if she was alright with me staying the night. It took a bit of convincing to do, but finally Demeter told me that it was fine with her as long as I came home early the next morning. I promised that I would, and then hung up my cell phone. "So what did your mom say?" Jessica asked with her fingers crossed.

"She's OK with it." I said. Jessica squealed with joy, and then ran over to give me a hug. This time I didn't flinch. I was used to her hugging after every semi-good thing that had happened this past week, so it was like second nature for me to expect it from her.

"Well, should we get started?" Jessica asked me after she let me go. I sighed and shrugged.

"I guess the sooner the better." I told her.

"OK. And thank you so much, Bella." Jessica said as she started up the basement stairs. Rambo ran up after her.

"It's no problem." I mumbled, following the two of them. I reached the top of the stairs, and Jessica closed the door. Then the two of us walked through the house, checking to make sure that everyone that she had invited was now gone. Everyone was to my relief. I didn't want to have to kick out some stragglers, and possibly have someone freak out on me. I wouldn't take kindly to that.

"This is going to take forever!" Jessica moaned as we stood in the mist of the mess that was in living room. Chips and paper cups littered every inch of the floor, and some ass had thought that it would be funny to take off all of the couch's cushions and pillows, and throw them all about the room. I saw some shoes and even a wallet discarded in the corners. I looked at Jessica with despair. This was horrible. How could such a small number of teenagers do this? It was unreal.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree." I said, now wishing that I hadn't given in to Jessica. The two of us had a rough night ahead of us. How freaking unfair. "But nothing's going to get done if we just stand here and look at it."

"I guess so." Jessica said, and ran off to the kitchen to get us a couple of bags. When she came back, the two of us started to stick every cup and big chip that we could find into the bags. After that we picked up all the pillows and cushions and shook them off any chips that they may have acquired during the night. Then as I picked up the shoes and wallet, Jessica vacuumed the rest of the chip mess up. We situated the couch and the rest of the furniture back where it had been before the party, and replaced all the cushions.

That was the easy room. The dining room and kitchen were ten times harder to clean up, and it was close to one in the morning (Jessica's parents had come in around midnight, had told us goodnight and good luck, and then had stumbled off to bed) when we finally had everything that had to be done done. I threw the washcloth that I had been using to clean off the counters into the kitchen sink, and then wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Wow." I commented, leaning against the island. "Who knew that cleaning up the aftermath of a party would be so much work?"

"That's why I try not to have so many." Jessica said, resting her back against the refrigerator. "But at least it's all done."

"It took us long enough." I growled, never wanting to do this again. It was ridiculous, and I silently promised myself that I would never throw a party in my own house. Not unless I could get Demeter to do all this cleaning for me, and I doubted that she would go for that. She didn't love me that much.

"So _where_ you and Edward just talking outside?" Jessica questioned with her gaze at her feet.

"Yes!" I nearly shouted. "We did nothing else."

"OK. Well I didn't think that you would, but you never know." Jessica said with a shrug of her shoulders. I rolled my eyes, and didn't allow myself to get mad at her words. She was just curious. Too curious, but I couldn't really blame her. That was just her nature. "And Edward wouldn't do anything like that anyways."

"What do you mean?" I asked. She made it sound like I wasn't good enough or something.

"He's been at the school for almost two years and I haven't heard of him dating a single girl. It's like none of us are good enough for him." Jessica told me. So Edward was an asshole after all! I knew it. There was no way that a nymph could be completely selfless. Great. Just when I was starting to think of him as an OK person to hang out with. Well that was life for you, and it was aggravating. "But…maybe Edward will ask you out sometime." Jessica mused. I made a face at that.

"Ew. Never going to happen." I said with firmness in my voice. I was dead set against the idea. "And it would never occur anyways. If doesn't like anyone at school then he won't like me."

"Why do you say that, Bella?" Jessica asked. "You're gorgeous! No girl at school can compete with you looks." I blushed at her words, and shied away from her adoring stare.

"Um…thanks." I said, not really sure how to respond to that.

"You're not used to compliments, are you?"

"My family really doesn't give them out." I said. They preferred to tell me how much of an unwanted freak that I was. Demeter was the only person to ever tell me anything good, and I just passed off her compliments as being biased. She had raised me. I was like another daughter to her. But I didn't need people to tell me stuff that I could care less about. I knew who I was and that was all that mattered.

"Do you get beat?" Jessica's tone was weak.

"What?!" I was shocked.

"Does your family abuse you?" Jessica asked much louder this time. I snorted. That was funny! Very funny!

"No!" I told her while trying to contain a laugh. Well, at least not physically. Verbally they tried to no prevail. I had a thick shell around myself that none of them could penetrate. But it was amusing to see them try.

"Oh, well that's good." Jessica seemed ashamed at herself for asking such an outrageous question.

"Wild idea, Jessica." I said, but gave her a smile to show her that I wasn't offended. I did sort of give off the vibe of someone who was beaten. I would have to work on that so that in the future people wouldn't ask randomly awkward questions that she had. "I'm tired." I yawned. "Can we get to bed?"

"Sure, Bella." Jessica said, nodding her head. "And I'll let you borrow some clothes for bed."

"If you want." I really didn't care. I didn't really need to sleep in pj's, but if it would make Jessica happy then I would. We headed out of the kitchen to the upstairs where we got ready for bed, and the moment that my head hit the pillow I passed out.


	12. Crashing Waves

**Chapter Twelve is in! I'm sorry that it's taken me awhile to put up my recent chapters. I've been very, very sick, and my teachers, I think, are trying to torture me with loads of homework. Ah well. I'll live. Don't cry for me. Lol. I did get another question, but I can't come right out and answer it. It would ruin most of the stuff that I have planned for my future chapters, so you'll have to wait to find it out, though I think this chapter might hint at it. You'll have to read it to find out, and please review. I love all you faithful readers, and enjoy!**

The furious waves crashed against the side of the high cliff, creating booming roars that threatened to tear the entire structure to pieces with their crushing force. Bats shuddered above as they flew by hastily, and the dolphins swam from the shallow waters of the beach; not wanting the sea god's wrath to destroy them with his fierce power. The sky overhead was a starry blue, but the moon was casting enough of its shadow onto the earth bellow that Zeus could clearly see the woman that stood next to him. She was still as a stone, but life vibrated from her from every pore of her being. A salty breeze drifted around him and teased the strands of his dirty blond hair, but Zeus didn't pay it a passing thought. He had not come to enjoy the scenery that the ocean had to offer. He had business with the woman. Very dire business.

"I could stand here forever. It's so beautiful, don't you agree?" The woman whom stood at the side of Zeus asked. She inhaled deeply, and then sighed contently as if what she was experiencing was the most amazing thing that she had ever beheld in her life. It was sickening, and the woman was only doing it to get on Zeus's nerves. Something at which she was very good at. "Don't you remember all those years ago when you pushed me off this very same cliff? It had been such a stormy night. I do believe that Poseidon hadn't been too keen with the idea. He was the one that had always adored me. Almost worshiped the ground that I walked upon. Not the best way to show affection, but at least someone loved me."

"I did love you." Zeus snapped back at her. "But all that changed the moment you threatened to go to Hera with the product our affair. That's why I pushed you from this cliff. The child that you carried was supposed to perish." Zeus added, hating that they were talking of the past. He wanted to get right to the point. That was the only reason that he had agreed to meet her at the cliffs. This stalling was very frustrating, and if he got angry there was no telling what he might do in his rage. The woman was walking on thin ice.

The woman grinned widely, but kept her attention focused on the scene before them. "Well, haven't you realized by now that your children seem to have the habit of surviving against all odds set out to destroy them?" The woman quizzed with good humor. "Quite interesting how your nieces always seem to favor the brats that you spawn."

"I never asked the Fates to award special treatment to my children." Zeus's voice was sharp. "Not that I need to explain anything that happens in my life or the lives of my children to you, Dione." The woman, Dione, turned toward Zeus. She set her piercing blue eyes on him, and held him in her enticing gaze. But it did nothing to arouse him. He was no longer affected by her womanly charm. That had died the moment that she had tried to kill him. Now all that Dione filled him with was hate and disgust. Just as their daughter did. She was a constant reminder of the treachery that Dione had almost succeeded with.

"Yes." Dione disagreed, her gaze turned fierce and menacing. "When you trick me into falling in love with you, and then get me pregnant than you do. But…" Her expression turned soft, almost angelic. It happened in less time than it took Zeus to bat an eye. "No need to cry over spilt milk. You've taken very good care of our child. She's even part of the Council of Power, if I heard right."

"Soon she will be dethroned." Zeus bit out, his fury rising. He clenched his fists. Dione's playful expression died away, and her perfect, pouty lips formed a worried frown.

"Now why do you say that? You were the one to give her the position." Dione's voice was full of curiosity and concern, but Zeus knew that she really didn't give a rat's ass about their daughter. It was just another way that she was trying to make Zeus appear to be the bad guy in the situation. Well, she could go ahead and try all that she wanted, but Zeus was not going to give her the edge that she craved over him. Not this time.

"I never intended for her to betray me." Zeus said, horrible ways of punishing Aphrodite swirling in his mind. All of them were too easy for the deed that she had done, and that pissed him off even more. "Though I should have seen it coming. Like mother like daughter." Dione raised an eyebrow.

"Betray you?" She asked. "You think that Aphrodite has done you wrong?"

"Who else would release you from the prison that I had placed you in?"

"Our daughter couldn't find her way out of a cardboard box even if she was given directions, and you stand here telling me that she was the one to set me free?" Dione began to laugh. It was loud and sounded like wicked little bells chiming. She held her sides, which set Zeus's anger to new heights. She dare laugh at him! The King of all the Gods! Who the hell did she think that she was? "No, Zeus," Dione said after a few moments. "Aphrodite is not the one that you have to worry about. Another member of the Council of Power has screwed you over."

"And you know who it is, too. Don't you, bitch?" Zeus spit, longing to pull her over to the side of the cliff by her long threads and drop her off like the bag of worthless garbage that she was. He had tried it all those thousands of years ago, though if he did it this time then he was going to make sure that Dione did not live. Forget Poseidon. Zeus would strip him of his power without a second thought if his brother dared defy his wishes. HE was the all powerful one. HE was the master. And HE was not to be denied.

"Of course I do." Dione sang; waving her hands around in amusement. "But I won't tell you, though it's not all that difficult to figure out. All you have to do is use that oversized head of yours."

"Oversized head?" Zeus growled, losing his last straw of restraint toward Dione. "That's it you lousy cunt! I'm going to finish what I started all those years ago!" And with that he stomped the short yards between the two of them, and then raised his hands to call forth his power to strike her down where she stood in all her arrogance and glory. Before he had the chance to utter a single word, Dione clamped her fingers around his thick neck and lifted him a few feet off of the ground. His eyes popped as he felt the air being crushed from his windpipe. Fear washed away the anger that had consumed his being not two moments before, and now he was at the mercy of the woman that he despised with every fiber of his being.

"I would be very careful if I were you, Zeus." Dione almost whispered. Her voice was harsh but scarily calm. It reeked of the power that she held. "Cronus will be released from Tarturus. There's nothing you can do to stop that. The right hybrid has been found. It's just a matter of time before the Volturi get her in their grasps. And when he reins supreme…well where does that leave you?" She asked, squeezing just a bit tighter. Zeus bit his tongue, causing the iron taste of blood to fill his mouth. "Bowing at my feet." Dione answered her own question with a mad glint reflecting in her eyes. "I will get my revenge for what you did to me. Cronus is not the one that you have to worry about. I'm the one that's going to chew you up and spit you out." She grinned wildly. Zeus felt his heart skip a beat. "All those horrors that you inflicted onto me before and after my imprisonment won't even come close to what I have in store for you. But until then…" Dione set Zeus back down onto the ground, and placed a kiss onto his rough cheek. It lingered with a burning heat that scorched not only Zeus's skin, but his pride as well. "I'll leave you to the last few months of peace that you have before I begin my fun. And get all that you can from them, Zeus. For time goes oh so fast."

And with that Dione spun on her heel, and in a flash she was gone. Not a single trace was left behind to indict that she had ever been at the cliff. Zeus rubbed his cheek, and for the very fist time in his existence he was terrified. All that he knew was about to change, and he didn't know if he was strong enough to defeat what he had brought on with his very own hands.


	13. Biology Project

**Chapter Thirteen is in. I have no more questions to answer, but thanks to those of you that reviewed my previous chapter. I hope you all like what's in this one, and please r&r. Enjoy!**

"Now I know none of you are anxious to do a project…" Mr. Wineberg paused to allow the class to moan and groan. I didn't join in the chorus that followed his words, and just sat waiting to find out the rest of what he had to say. After about a minute Mr. Wineberg continued. "But it's required, and you never know. It might be fun."

"So might stabbing myself in the eye." Someone on the other side of the room called out. Mr. Wineberg smiled and shook his head.

"Why are students so against doing projects?" He asked himself. Then he shrugged, and went on with what he had to tell us. "Well, regardless of what you all might think, you will be doing a project. Its worth forty percent of your grade, and it can be on any of the previous chapters that we have covered. It's due in three weeks, and must include a ten page paper and some sort of visual."

"You have to be kidding me!" The same person shouted.

"I'm dead serious, Garret." Mr. Wineberg told him. Garret cried out in desperation. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad."

"Says you." Mike pitched in from his seat next to Jessica. Jessica slapped his arm gently. The two of them had made up, but weren't dating. They had decided to just stay friends, and it seemed to be effective for the both of them. I was glad that they had worked things out. The awkwardness between them had left, and now lunch was very peaceful. There was no longer any thick tension in the air, thankfully. "Do we at least get to work with someone?"

"Good question, Mike." Mr. Wineberg grinned, appearing to enjoy the pain that everyone seemed to be under because of the load of homework that he had just placed onto our shoulders. "Yes, you will be doing this project with a partner, but…your partner is the person sitting next to you." That caused a few more groans from those that didn't like who they were stuck next to, and some people cheered. I was not one of them. I was stuck with Edward. Damn Mr. Wineberg.

"Hey partner!" Edward beamed after Mr. Wineberg had described a little bit more of the guidelines for our project, and now we had the rest of the period to talk with our assigned partner and decided on what our projects would be about. I ignored Edward and pulled my Biology book from the stack of papers and notebooks before me. "Did I do something wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, his voice suddenly very concerned.

"Nope." I answered, not looking up from the page that I had flipped to, and was pretending to read.

"I must have." Edward pressed on. "Why else would you be giving me the cold shoulder?"

"Maybe I'm having a bad day." I suggested, though that wasn't the truth. My day was going by perfectly fine. I just didn't want to have to talk to Edward. It had been almost two weeks since Jessica's party, and I had been doing my best to avoid Edward every day at school since then. What Jessica had told me about Edward had turned me off from ever wanting to be his friend, but Edward was persistent and didn't seem to get the hints that I tried to give him. He was totally oblivious, or liked the challenge that I was presenting him. Either way it was annoying, and I really wanted it to stop. But now I was going to have to spend almost a month hanging out with him to get our Biology project done. Why were the Fates so cruel to me? It wasn't fair.

"You didn't look like it in lunch." Edward said. I closed my science book and turned in my chair to look at him.

"You were spying on me?" That was sort of creepy. I didn't even know that he had the same lunch period as me.

"No, but I've been curious as to why you have been treating me like we didn't even have that talk at Jessica's." Edward explained. "Was it something I said then? I'm sorry if I offended you with all those personal questions. I was just interested in getting to know you."

"Edward, it has nothing to do with that!" I almost shouted. He was getting on my last nerve.

"Then what—"

"Just stop!" I growled. "Let's pick out something to do for this project, OK?"

"Fine." Edward looked hurt that I was being so stern and wouldn't explain my reason for treating him like dirt once again, but I wasn't going to tell him that it was because Jessica had told me that he didn't date anyone. That would make me seem like I was upset that he might not ask me out, which was not the case at all. But he would think that, and I wasn't in the mood for Edward to get a big head over the idea that I might like him. So I was going to keep my mouth shut, and do my best to keep our conversations to a minimal.

"What would you like to do?"

"It's up to you, Bella." Edward said, once again the picture of happiness. I couldn't understand how he could skip from emotion to emotion and not get confused, but he did. Maybe he was bipolar. That made me grin a little. A bipolar nymph. That was an amusing thought. "What is it?" Edward asked, catching my expression. I quickly dropped the grin.

"Nothing. Let's do the project on…blood." I blurted out. That was the only thing that came to mind. Edward nodded slowly.

"Alright. Sounds good to me. So how are we going to do this?"

"What do you mean?" I quizzed. I didn't like where this was going.

"Well…this is going to take a lot of time, and…we'll need to spend time outside of school." Edward started. I felt myself blanch.

"Are you suggesting that I…go over to your house?" I asked. The idea appalled me. How could he think that I would ever want to take one step inside the place that he dwelled at? I could hardly stand being in the same room with him right now.

"Or your house. Even the library, if that makes you feel more comfortable. I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to." Edward jumped in. I let out a breath, but I wasn't totally relieved. I didn't want to have to hang out with him when school wasn't in session. It was grueling just these past few minutes in Biology. How would I get through days of spending time with him? I would end up killing him. I just knew it.

"Isn't there any way that we can do this all in school?" I wanted a way to avoid this. There had to be at least another option. Anything. I was desperate.

"You can't." Mr. Wineberg told me as he came over to where Edward and I sat. "I want you to have to work on this outside of school." I groaned. This was horrible! "Why the long face, Bella? Edward's a great student. You two shouldn't have any problem getting this project done."

"It's not that…" I said, and realized that Mr. Wineberg wouldn't understand my reasons for not wanting to work with Edward. He was a teacher and all that mattered to him was getting his subject across to his students. How we felt about one another didn't matter. When forced to be partners we had put that aside and get the project done. And that sucked, but…I didn't want to fail Biology because of something stupid like this. "Never mind." I sighed. Edward grinned.

"So are we cool?" He asked with a glint to his wonderfully topaz eyes.

"For the project, yes." I mumbled, hating that I was giving in, even if it was to get a good grade.

"That's a start." Edward said. I didn't like his tone. It was like he knew the future and was implying that we would become the best of friends. Never. No. I would get through this project with him, but that was it. I had no intentions of getting close to Edward Newton. He was an ass just like all the other nymphs, and nothing was going to change my opinion of him. Nothing. "So how about we meet after school today?"

I didn't want to agree, but Mr. Wineberg was still standing by us, so I had no choice. "Fine."

"That makes me happy." Mr. Wineberg said with glee. "I love to see high strong individuals getting along. It's like finding a rainbow after a rainstorm."

"At least you think so." I said under my breath. This was perfect. Just perfect. I was screwed, but there was no way out of it. I was going to be in hell for the next couple of weeks, and there wasn't anything that I could do about it. I glared at Edward, and dreaded the moment that the end of the day bell would ring.


	14. Runaway Cart

**This is chapter fourteen. Please no one hate me for what Bella does in this. Please...I hope you all enjoy it, and review. I would like to get at least 33 reviews. Help people! I know that you want to. Please. Lol. And thanks for all of you that review already. I love you a lot. You are what make me smile and continue with this story. So thanks, again. **

"I heard that you're meeting with Edward after school." Jessica said as the two of us waited in line for our turn to kick the ball in some dull version of soccer, or something along those lines, that we were being forced to play in gym. It wasn't warm enough yet for us to go outside, so the teachers had given us the choice: soccer or some stupid game called gaga. Hands down soccer had won. I didn't know what gaga was, and really didn't want to find out. So I wasn't complaining about the game that we were playing. At least it made a little sense.

"It's for the project." I murmured, not really in the mood for what she was implying. I was still pissed over the fact that I had to be partners with Edward.

"Hey, it's a lot better than any of us other girls have gotten so far." Jessica shrugged. I turned so that I was facing her squarely, and placed my hands onto my hips.

"I'm only seeing him because of the stupid thing that Mr. Wineberg is forcing us to do. If it weren't for that then I wouldn't even give Edward a second thought." I told her, my voice was very stern. I wanted her to understand that I had no interest in him whatsoever.

"But you talked to him at my party." Jessica stated. She didn't even seem to register that her words were upsetting me. "It looked like the two of you were having a good time. What happened?"

"I wasn't having a good time." I objected, though a part of me knew that that was a lie. I _had_ been enjoying the conversation that Edward had bullied out of me. We had found some common ground, and I had felt myself starting to warm up to him. But that had all changed the moment Jessica had told me about Edward's arrogance and self-centered attitude. So even though I longed to find out more about Edward, I couldn't. He was a goddamn nymph, and that was that. I would never be able to befriend him. It would be a horrible decision on my behalf. And I had already made enough of those to last three human life times. "I was just being polite."

"Yeah, sure, Bella." Jessica scoffed. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming at her. Why did she persist on implying that I had a thing for Edward? My disdain for him was not a cover up. I really didn't like him. Couldn't she grasp that?

"Jessica, he's an ass. And I wouldn't be interested in him even if you paid me a billion dollars and handed over the moon. He makes my flesh crawl, and I want to claw his eyes out." I said, glaring just a bit to get my point across. I was exaggerating my feelings toward Edward a bit, but by the time that this Biology project was done I was going to be thinking the exact same thing. Possibly even word for word. "So since I don't _like_ him, I would really appreciate it if you would drop the subject." I demanded.

"Whatever you say, Bella." Jessica said. She sounded like she was being sincere, but I caught something in her eyes that stated otherwise. I opened my mouth to address it, and just as the first syllable of what I was going to say was uttered, the gym teacher yelled at me to take my turn. I sighed and moved forward. A tall kid on the opposite team aimed the ball to where I was standing, and kicked it at me. I watched as it traveled quickly in my direction, but I wasn't paying it much attention (my thoughts were still on what had happened in Biology and then what Jessica and I had just been discussing) and soon found myself lying on the hardwood floor with everyone in the class pointing at me, and laughing hysterically.

"Miss Swan, are you OK?" My gym teacher asked, though there wasn't much concern in her deep voice. She sounded almost bored. I sat up, paying no mind to her lack of interest in my welfare, and pulled my long hair out of my face. "Miss Swan?"

"I'll be fine." I told her, trying to piece together what had led me to fall. It had all accrued so fast that I pulled up a blank. I shook my head gently and then jumped to my feet; ignoring the hand that Jessica had held out to me. "Thanks." I mumbled, not wanting her to think me rude.

"You're clumsy." Jessica giggled, and I felt myself blush. I had just made a fool of myself in front of everyone, and it was all Edward's fault. Once again. Damn him!

"Story of my life." I said, attempting to sound like this was a common, everyday thing. I failed miserably, but Jessica didn't seem to notice.

"You need a moment, Miss Swan?" The gym teacher quizzed. I shook my head, but walked to the end of the line and prayed that the gym period wouldn't drag on. Nothing could be worse than this embarrassment. Well…maybe the time that I was going to have to spend with Edward Newton. Comparing the two, I would take falling on my face any day.

For the rest of gym class I tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible, but, of course, people had to be jerks and the preppy guys got a hoot out of imitating me. I kept my gaze low, and tried to focus on something else. All that was on my mind was the meeting that I was going to have with Edward after school, and after a bit my anger started to turn to nervousness. I had no clue why it had done that, but it bubbled in the pit of my stomach, so by the end of the period I was really jittery and had a hard time putting on my t-shirt in the locker room. Finally, with a little help from Jessica, I was dressed and scurried off upstairs to grab the stuff that I would need to take home. I shoved a few books and such into my backpack, and then slammed my locker shut. I slipped on my jean jacket, slung my bag over my shoulder, and then headed toward the front entrance of the school. With each step my nerves snapped a bit more, but I did my best to conceal any hint of what I was feeling from my face. I didn't want Edward to see that he had any effect on me. That would make his fat head even fatter. Something that I wouldn't be able to deal with in a civil way, and civil was the only way that I was going to make it through the next few weeks.

Outside I walked to the school's parking lot, and waited by my Thunderbird for the person that made me distracted with the loathing that I held for him. It was only after five minutes; at the most, of standing when I noticed Edward's bronzed head coming in my direction. I forced myself to remain as calm as possible as he stepped up to me with a huge grin plastered across his gorgeous face.

"So are we—" He started to ask, but I cut him off with a flip of my wrist. Yeah, it was girly, but it worked.

"We are going to the library." I told him, no hint of compromise in my tone.

"OK." Edward said, my words not fazing him in the slightest. "Your car or mine?"

"I think it would best if we walked." I said, not wanting to be in that tight of a space with him. I would lose it, I just knew it.

"Your choice." Edward shrugged. Damn right it was. "After you." He did the exact same thing that he had done at Jessica's party when we had been at the back door. I didn't give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of me, and marched past him with pounding steps. Edward fell in step behind me, and I was glad that he had the sense to stay silent. We made our way along the sidewalks to the 'heart' of Forks. Really all it was was a couple of stores, a diner, the library, the police station, and the town hall. It was a pathetic sight, but it worked for the people of Forks. Or at least it had to. If they didn't like it then they would add things, or take some things down. Not that I cared much. Forks was just another place for Aro to find me at, but I was trying to make it my home. If only Edward would mysteriously leave…

I walked up the stairs to the doors of the library and pushed one of them open. Inside I was greeted with blinding light and the sharp smell of musty book pages. I inhaled deeply; the smell was comforting to me. I could lose myself for days in all the wonders that the library held, but I didn't have the time. Not while I was still forced to go to high school. But I only had one more year of that, if I cared to follow through with it. Once I was a god there was nothing that the mortals could force me to do that I didn't want to do myself. They could try, but it would be futile.

I put my backpack down on a free table, and took of my jacket. I placed it next to the bag, and then found a librarian. I asked her where the books on blood were, and with a funny look she pointed me to a section of books that were up against the opposite wall. I thanked her and started for them, Edward in tow. The section was huge, and that made me happy. At least getting the research would be easy. It was the paper that was going to take some time, but I didn't want to think about it at the moment. First I needed some notes. I pulled the first book that looked interesting from the shelf, and flipped it open. Just as I did I noticed that Edward was standing too close. He could breathe down my neck if he chose to. It was very annoying.

"Can't you go somewhere else?" I growled, taking a couple of steps to the side.

"Isn't this the section we need?" He asked, gesturing to the books before us.

"Well, pick out your own book." I told him. "I don't like you hovering over my shoulder. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Bella, I'm…" He trailed off suddenly, and stared off to the side. Something that he saw ignited fear in his eyes, and made his pale face pale a bit more. "Oh, shit!" Edward shouted, and then grabbed a hold of my wrist. Before I had a chance to react, he spun me into his chest, and a moment later a book cart came speeding past us and bounced of the wall in the place where I had been standing just seconds before. Books flew all over the place, and Edward wrapped his cold arms tighter around me in case any of them soared high enough to hit me in the head. I stood, shocked, in his embrace. What had happened? Where had that cart come from? How…just then I registered that Edward was holding me and that pissed me off. I shoved him away from me, and glared.

"How dare you!" I screeched, not caring that a small group of people had formed around us; all curious to what the crash had been.

"I saved your life…for a second time!" Edward cried, once again seemingly hurt by my anger toward his 'good' deeds. "The back porch and now this."

"I don't need you to save me." I spat. "I'm perfectly fine by myself."

"But that cart would have crushed you." Edward protested. My eyes narrowed farther into thin slits. My anger was boiling over. How dare he think that he had to save me! It was his fault that that had happened anyway. If he would only back off. He was suffocating me. Couldn't he tell that I couldn't stand to be around him? I was repulsed by him! Why didn't he understand that?

"Just back the fuck off, Edward." I snarled, my voice was low and threatening. "I will _never_ be your friend, and I sure as hell don't want you saving me. You are a horrible person, and I want nothing to do you with, but I want a good grade on this project, so I will put up with you. After this, though, I want you to leave me alone. If you try and talk with me I will kick your ass, do you understand that?"

Edward nodded ever so slightly, his expression sad beyond belief. "If that's what you want, Bella. Then I promise that I won't bother you any more."

"Good." I sniffed, though I didn't feel like I had won anything grand. That part of me that wanted to get know Edward better was disappointed, but I shoved it aside. He was just a nymph, nothing more. We were too different, even if he didn't know it. I was doing what was best. I was…


	15. Proven Rumors

**This is a very short chapter. Sorry. It might not seem important but it is. I hope you like it. I would like to clear something up. The reason why Bella is so nasty towards Edward is because she's had bad experiences with nymphs in the past. No, he isn't like she describes him (at least at the moment he isn't. hehe...), but she holds a grudge against all nymphs. I hope that helps out a little. And please review. Two more and I reach 35. Come on!  
**

Prometheus sat quite comfortably in the chair that one of Aro's guards had brought in for him. The vampire in question was lounging before him on a dark wine colored cushion with a deep goblet bedazzled in finely cut rubies. They caught the little light that the room contained from the black candles, and blazed like small fires. There was no doubt in Prometheus's mind that the goblet was filled with blood, but that didn't bother Prometheus in the slightest. Many years ago that would have set him on edge, but now he could care less for the humans that he had once held in such high regards. Because of them he had been forced to suffer on the side of that mountain for thousands of years. The pathetic things could rot in Hades.

"I find it surprising. You do not tremble." Aro said after a fashion. Prometheus, whom had been examining the gloomy room around him, snapped his head up and focused on the vampire behind his saving.

"Why would I?" He asked. Aro wiped the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his rich, emerald robe, and smiled a grin that was void of all kindness.

"You sit before me. Do I not scare you? Am I not impressive?"

"No." Prometheus answered honestly. Aro raised an eyebrow. "Granted, you are the first and most powerful vampire ever to grace this horrible planet, but that does not strike fear into my heart. I have had to deal with the moods of my brother in the past. You are just a child of his. You contain only a fraction of the evilness that flowed through his veins."

"I see," Aro said thoughtfully. "So are you ungrateful?" He quizzed. Prometheus shook his head.

"I was wrongfully chained for doing what was right by those that should have been on my side. I am forever in debt to you." Prometheus told him, bowing his head just a smidge.

"Yes." Aro's soulless eyes glowed, and seemed pleased by the gesture. He set his goblet down on a stand that was to his right, and leaned forward. "I have invited you to my palace to ask a question, one that will change your destiny forever. Refusing would be unwise, but that is your choice. Will you accept my offer?"

"Against the Council of Power? Has my sister agreed?"

"Of course. Dione was practically giddy with my offer." Aro said. Prometheus folded his hands in his lap, and stared straight at Aro; keeping intense eye contact with the ancient being.

"The hybrid has been found?" This was needed before he agreed to anything. He did not want this to be a wild goose chase. "The correct one, anyways?"

"Would I have broken all the laws to release you from your imprisonment?" Aro countered. His tone was sharp, meant to cut through Prometheus's hardened exterior shell.

"You almost did with your son." Prometheus pointed out. A quick flare of anger flashed in Aro's eyes, but was gone as quickly as it had come. He took a deep sigh, and sat back. Prometheus didn't flinch. He was being very unwise in his bravery, but he would not allow Aro to walk all over him. He had been that way with Zeus, and what had happened? Betrayal and punishment. Never again.

"That was a mistake. Rhea had promised that my offspring would be the key to unlocking Cronus. She never explained all that the Oracle had told her. I learned the truth after Rhea hid the stone." Aro said. He sounded as though the subject bored him, not that that was a shock to Prometheus. That was all in the past. All that mattered to Aro now was power. "Yes, the hybrid has been found," Aro continued after a short pause. "I've known about her for many years. Artemis disappearance was an enormous tip off."

"Interesting." Prometheus nodded, liking what Aro was saying. "Very interesting." He was confirming that all the rumors about Artemis were true, though Zeus would fry anyone stupid enough to utter them in his presence.

"So?" Aro had picked back up his goblet. He sipped at the contents, waiting. Prometheus thought for a moment, but it didn't take him long to make up his mind.

"As long as you are positive that the hybrid will fall to your demands." Prometheus said, sealing his fate. There was no going back now, though he had no desire to.

Aro smiled once again; blood dripping from his sharp teeth. It ran down his chin in awful, tiny rivers. It disgusted Prometheus. "Wise choice," he chuckled at the look on Prometheus's face. "And don't worry. She will."


	16. Carrot Pieces

**Another chapter! Two in one day. I am so proud of myself. Go me! This one is sort of fun toward the end, so I think you guys will smile a little. I hope so anyways. Alright...I'm still looking for reviews, and I hope that all of you have a great Valentine's Day. **

"You have to be kidding me!" I practically shouted as Edward and I walked into the insanely full library. It was Saturday, and it appeared that everyone from my grade and La Push was cramped into the tiny area that the library provided. There was no room left. Not even a square inch of carpet. This was horrible! Edward and I had to do our research here. We just had to. I couldn't be alone with him anywhere else.

"Ssh…" A librarian (she was different from the one that I had talked to a few days ago when that cart had almost crushed the life out of me) glared at me as she walked by.

"Says you." I hissed under my breath, and then instantly felt guilty for it. It wasn't her fault that Edward was my partner. She hadn't forced the two of us to do a project together. It was wrong of me to take out my anger on her. And some would think it unfair that I despised Edward for those facts, but he was the weird nymph that had to care about education. If he acted like all the others then I wouldn't be on edge. I wouldn't even know who he was. School would be an enjoyable place to be at.

"I have a ton of books in my car." Edward offered. I turned to look at him, but tried to keep the fury that I felt toward him out of my face. He had backed off considerably since Monday when I had freaked out on him. He only spoke to me when absolutely necessary, and I liked that very much. It was a nice improvement, but I would feel even better once the Biology project was over and I could wash my hands of him. "We could…"

"I guess we have no choice." I agreed. "But we're going to my house." Truthfully I would have preferred to do what we intended to do outside, but it was raining and the books would get ruined, and then bye-bye hard work.

"Anything you want, Bella." Edward nodded.

"OK." And with that I took off from the library. Edward's shiny and flashy Volvo was parked outside; getting pelted by the thick rain that fell in sheets from the sky. I didn't like the thing, but it was much better then my Thunderbird. And I had to admit that it was incredibly comfortable. It made it much easier to bear being in the same five foot area as Edward. I flung open the slick door, and plopped down in the passenger seat. Edward eased into the driver's side moments after me, and started up the car. Warmth flooded in, and I was grateful for it. After a few minutes my chilled skin was rosy and normal to the touch.

No words, but the directions that I gave Edward to get to my house, were exchanged between us. I bit my lip and stared out the window. Outside was very dark, and a fierce wind blew through the waking trees. _Welcome spring, _I thought with sarcasm. I hated spring. At least the beginning of it. It was all wet and gross as it washed away the traces of winter. The slush that it created was a mess, and the ugliness that the rain brought as it melted the snow was a grotesque sight to behold. Plus spring meant the unfortunate arrival of Persephone. That was the worst of it all. Couldn't of that bitch just eaten the remaining six seeds that Hades had offered her? Then she would be stuck with him all year round, and Demeter would be safe from her harshness and I would have some quiet. But that was too much to ask, and I was forced to live in hell every spring and summer. What joy.

Edward pulled into my driveway and I groaned. There was a vehicle next to the Thunderbird. It was the cherry red mustang that I recognized as Hestia's. She had finally decided to visit Demeter, but why now? She had such horrible timing!

"Um…we can't be here." I told Edward, stopping him from turning off the car.

"Why's that, Bella?" Edward asked with some concern in his voice. I blanked. What could I tell him? Certainly not the truth. I knew that he wouldn't blow off my words if I told him that one of the Olympian gods was visiting my mother. He would believe me, and that was worse them him laughing at me. I had to make up a story, and lie to him quick.

"I-it's…my…mom's…boyfriend." I blurted, sounding like a moron. "Yeah, she's gotten a new one since being in Forks, and well…you know." I said, hoping that he got what I was trying to imply. He looked at me for a second, and I tried to look like I was calm and everything was fine. I failed miserably, but Edward smiled after a time, and I felt myself start to breathe again. He had bought my lie.

"So you think that they might be…enjoying some adult time alone?" Edward sounded amused. I was too relieved to get pissed at him.

"They might." I shrugged. "So why don't we leave them alone?"

"You know that means that we'll have to go to my house, right?" Edward told me. I nodded slowly. It wasn't something that I was thrilled about, but I had to do it. It was either that, or possibly exposing Demeter and me. And no way was I going to allow that to happen. I just had to suck up my hatred for him, and get through the day. It was only for one. This wasn't going to be an everyday thing. At least…I prayed that it wasn't.

"I do." I sighed. "But to save myself from embarrassment, I guess I have no choice." I despised saying those words. They were like sour milk on my tongue. "Let's go to your house."

"Perfect." Edward said with a chuckle, and pulled away from my house and started toward the opposite end of town. We drove and we drove and we drove some more. It was endless, and I couldn't even watch the scenery because of the stupid rain. I sat with my arms crossed under my chest, and pouted. I was willingly going to a torture chamber, and there was nothing that I could do about it. This was cruel, and I longed to jump from the car as Edward took us farther from the town and deeper into the woods. Maybe he was going to slit my throat, hack me up into little pieces, and then scatter me all over the forest floor for the wild animals to eat. That would be more merciful then spending the afternoon locked away with him. Did the Fates hate me? Had I angered them years ago? If so, I was sorry. I hadn't meant it. I would even kiss their feet to prove that I was truly sorry. I would do anything if it got me out of going to Edward's house. Anything.

Finally Edward started to slow, and soon a break in the trees could be seen. He drove down a dirt path that led to a huge three door garage. Beside the garage was a gorgeous, two story house. It was done in late Victorian style, and was a light beige color. A hedge of bushes ran along the outside, and on the porch there was even a swing big enough for two people to sit snugly. The yard was spotless of all snow, and the grass was starting to turn bright green. A tiled path wound its way up to the front steps, and along that I could see the beginnings of spring flowers popping out of the soggy earth. I heard the sound of running water, and figured that a creek was nearby. I felt my mouth drop open. Even with the bad weather around it, the place was incredible.

"Wow." I mumbled with awe. "This is all for you?"

"My parents wanted to make sure that I'm was comfortable." Edward said, turning off his Volvo. "I tried to tell them that it was too much, but you know parents. They never listen to reason."

"At least their not listening has paid off for you." I said, turning my head away from the house to look at him. "I would die from shock if D—I mean, my mom, gave me something like this. You are very lucky, Edward."

"It's the least that they can do." Edward muttered darkly. His eyes darkened quickly, turning to an almost red color. I bit my cheek. This was sort of scary. I knew that a nymph could never hurt me, but still. He acted like someone that was bipolar, and that wasn't normal for a nymph. But, then again, nothing about Edward was normal. "Well, time to read up on blood." Edward said, his bad mood suddenly gone. His eyes went back to topaz.

"Kay." I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. I opened my door, and sunk into the mud. Great. I cursed the rain again.

"I'll get the books. You just go wait up on the porch." Edward called to me as he searched his backseat for the library books. I didn't need to be told twice, and sprinted up the path to the safety that the porch offered. I shook out my soaking wet hair as I waited for Edward. He greeted me a few moments later; his arms full. I reached out to help him, but he told me no. "I'm fine, Bella, but thanks."

"Yeah…well…" I grumbled, hoping that he wasn't getting the wrong idea. I was only being nice because of manners, not because I was starting to like him. Edward unlocked his front door, and gently kicked it open. I walked in ahead of him, and was once again gaping at all the beauty around me. The hall was spacious, and the walls were of dark wood paneling. Pictures of astonishment littered them, and I couldn't help but stare at them. "What do your parents do in New York?" I found myself asking.

"A little bit of everything." Edward answered, closing the door. He set the books down on the floor, and began to take of his shoes. I followed suit and handed them to him. He put them in a closet on the right side of the wall, and then slipped out of his leather jacket. He hung it on a hanger, and after reached for mine. I side stepped away from him.

"I can do it myself." I told him, and shimmied it off of me. I handed it to him, and Edward hung mine next to his. I felt naked without my jean jacket, but didn't want to seem weak in front of Edward, so I squared my shoulders and pushed away the uneasy feeling in my gut. "Where are we doing this?"

"The dinning room." Edward said, leading me (with the books) through a doorway that branched off the main hall. We walked across a thick, light blue rug. I loved the way it felt against my feet. It was like walking on a giant colored marshmallow. The living room was fashionably decorated, and I wondered briefly if he had done this all by himself. It had a guy feel to it, but it didn't look sloppy. Maybe he had more class then I had first thought, but that didn't mean that he wasn't an asshole. A lot of them had fashion sense too.

In the dinning room I sat down at the large, mahogany table. Edward placed the books in stacks near me, but didn't take a seat.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"I came here to do work, not eat." I replied, my sternness back.

"It's past lunchtime. Your stomach has to be grumbling." Edward countered, and in truth it was. I wanted to tell him no, but food sounded really good at the moment.

"Fine, I'll have a sandwich." I said, giving in. Edward grinned and bounded off for the kitchen. I took the top book off of the stack nearest me, and flipped it open. I began to read the first page, and was halfway through the chapter when Edward came back into the dinning room. He had a plate with my sandwich on it, two diet Pepsis, a container of cut up carrot pieces, two notebooks, and some pens. He handed me the sandwich, one of the diet Pepsis, a notebook, and a pen. "Thanks." I said, gazing at the contents of the sandwich. It had Swiss cheese and turkey with a tomato and some lettuce. I took a bite of it as Edward took a seat and munched on one of the carrot pieces. "Is that all you're going to have?"

"I'm not that hungry. I had a big breakfast." Edward explained. I shrugged. The sandwich was good, and I washed it down with the pop. Ugh. More pop. But I wasn't going to ask him to get me something else. I opened up the notebook, and began to copy down some things from my reading. I did this for a couple of minutes, and then took another bite of my sandwich. This went on for awhile and I soon got into a rhythm, and forgot all about Edward and how much I hated him.

All of a sudden something hard bounced off my forehead and I glanced up. "What the hell was that?" I growled at Edward.

"What are you talking about, Bella?" Edward asked, looking innocent. I glared daggers at him, knowing full well that he had thrown something at me.

"Something hit me."

"I didn't do anything." Edward protested, though his eyes shined like those of a mischievous four-year-old.

"Whatever." I said, and then went back to taking notes. I was falling back into the comfort of the notes (my sandwich was all gone) when another something bounced off my forehead again. "Edward!" I yelled.

"What?" He cried back like I was the mean babysitter that enjoyed getting him into trouble.

"Stop it." I warned in a dark voice.

"What?"

"You know what." This was ridiculous. Was he a toddler? I was going to kill him. I seriously was. I picked back up my pen and pretended to take notes, and tried to calm myself down, though I was going to ketch him in the act. I watched from underneath my lashes as Edward pulled a carrot piece out of the container before him, and raised it in his hand. He aimed it at me and with a quick flip sent it soaring toward me. I ducked to the side so that it wouldn't hit me, and flung out my arm. I caught it in my hand, and with great speed sent it back at him. It hit Edward squarely in the chest. "How do you like it?" I barked. Edward looked stunned for a minute, but recovered in less then a heartbeat.

"Wimp." He mocked at me. I stood up, and threw down my pen.

"You're the one throwing tiny carrot things at me!" I was pissed. He had just crossed the line.

"So? At least I know how to throw." Edward stuck out his tongue. "You're such a girl." I lost it at that. I ran around to where he was at, took a handful of carrot pieces, and dumped them on top of his head.

"There. How do you like that?" I asked with fury weaving around my words, though I had to admit that I did like this. Throwing foods was always fun. But I had to stay focused. Stay mad.

"Well…" Edward got out of his chair, and held up the container. "Let me show you." And with that he poured all the contents down the front of my shirt. I shrieked at the surprise of them, and that caused Edward to start to laugh.

"You think this is funny?" I snarled, and then shoved him. My weight threw him off, and both of us tumbled to the ground. On the floor Edward and I started to throw the carrot pieces that littered it at each other. We were like young boys with snowballs. Soon our carrot war left the dinning room and we traveled throughout the entire first story. We ducked behind anything and everything that would give us cover. We ran like crazy people from an insane asylum, and while in the living room I bumped into the couch and collapsed onto its cushions. I hadn't been paying any attention, and the shear shock of it made me laugh. It was gut busting, and mixed with my breathlessness, made it hard to breathe.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward asked as he came into the room.

"I'll be…fine." I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. Edward took the small space at the other end of the couch by my feet.

"You sure?"

"Yup." I giggled.

"Well, that's good." Edward grinned. I nodded, wiping away the happy tears. "So truce?"

"Truce?" I asked after I took a couple of long breaths.

"Will you stop hating me, and be my friend?" He explained. His tone was light, but the words were serious. That made me think for a moment. I was no longer pissed at him. The carrot war had wiped away my anger and resentment toward him. Now all I was left with was a somewhat fuzzy feeling. Edward was a lot of fun. I had pegged him totally wrong. Well, at least that was what my gut told me, and I had always trusted it before. With that in mind the small part of me that wanted to really get to know Edward took over. I sat up and held out my hand for him to shake.

"As long as you promise to not be an ass." I said, placing down my condition. Edward grasped my hand and shook it firmly.

"I promise." Edward even crossed his heart to prove how much he meant it.

"OK. We're friends." I liked the sound of it. Plus now it would be easier to get our project done. I let go of his hand, and leaned back on the comfy couch. Just then Edward gasped. "What?" I quizzed, startled.

"Your bitch exterior is gone!" Edward cried like it was one of the worst things to ever happen in the world. "I am so sorry that I broke through it. I swear that I'll buy you another one before Monday. I think there's a store somewhere in La Push."

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." I rolled my eyes, and then kicked him gently in the arm. It was odd how odd I could fall into the friend mood with Edward, but it was cool. A nymph might come in handy one, and no one could ever have too many friends.


	17. Movie Night

**I am so happy that all of you liked the previous chapter. It was a lot of fun to write, and I based the carrot thing after something that had happened to me in lunch. I love my group of friends. They are amazing, but so are all of you that have stayed with my story. Thank you. And guess what? I have 36 reviews! Squee!!! I'm so happy that now I'm hoping for 40. Just 4 more. Anyways, I love you all and thanks again. **

The next two weeks flew by swiftly. Every day after school I went over to Edward's. I would have liked him to come over to my house and meet my 'mother', but he couldn't. Hestia wouldn't leave. She told me it was because she was having too much fun with Demeter, but I sensed there was something else going on. It was in the way that she shifted her eyes and giggled a forced laugh that tipped me off. I wanted to find out what was going on, but I didn't dwell on the problem severely. The project was taking up a lot of my time, and Edward…well…let's just say that sometimes it was difficult to get things done when he was around. I loved his off color personality, though. It was the complete opposite of mine, which made it really easy for us to click. Randomly he would stop working and start dancing like no one was watching, and sometimes he would hide behind things in his house and wait to scare the hell out of me when I walked by. It was hilarious, and made working with him a lot of fun. I was actually thankful that I had stopped hating him and had allowed myself to get to know him. We were becoming fast and close friends. I felt that I could tell Edward anything and he would understand. There were only two other people in my life that I could do that with, and one of them I hadn't had contact with in many, many years. It was unnerving, but not uncomfortable. I was just in unfamiliar territory with Edward. That was all. Soon that would go away, and maybe we would become best friends. I sure hoped so anyways.

Edward and I walked into Bio class on the day that the project was due. Ours was done, and I swear that the visual was one of the best looking out of everyone's in the class. I was so proud of what the two of us had done, and I guess that must have showed on my face when we handed in our project because Mr. Wineberg raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Glad to see that the two of you didn't kill one another." He said, placing our projects with all the others in a stack by his computer. "Though I have to admit that I was betting on the two of you to fail."

"I didn't know that our working together was a gambling game." I said. I looked to Edward, whom was standing right beside me, and he shrugged, though he did look amused.

"In my mind it was." Mr. Wineberg explained with a tap to his temple. I gave him a funny look, and he laughed. "I'm joking, Miss Swan. Just joking."

"Oh." Well how was I to know? The guy did appear to have a crazy side to him, but, then again, almost everyone did. He just showed his more often then most.

"Ah, go sit down." Mr. Wineberg waved me away with his hand, and I hurriedly made my way over to the table that I shared with Edward. I sat in my swivel chair just as Edward did. He turned toward me, and I gazed his way.

"What's up?" I asked, knowing that he wanted to talk even though Mr. Wineberg was about to start the lesson for the day.

"Can I ask you something?" Edward looked nervous, and that spiked my interest.

"Sure," I told him; very curious.

"You want to go see a movie? You know, to celebrate our finishing of the project?" He questioned shyly. I was taken aback by his tone. Edward shy? No. That was impossible. He was always a ball of sunshine, and spoke what was on his mind. Why should him asking me to a movie make him act this way? Well…he could be afraid that I might freak out on him. I did have a quick temper, and if he would have asked me this two weeks ago I probably would have bit of his head. Maybe he was terrified that he was asking me something that could be a big deal to me, though to him it wasn't. Well, it wasn't to me, either. And I let him know that.

"Which one did you have in mind?" I smiled at him to tell him that everything was cool.

"Whichever one that you're in the mood to see," he replied, sounding much more like himself. His shyness was gone, and that made me feel better. I didn't like Edward shy. It just wasn't him.

"I don't keep up with the new ones, but we'll figure that out when we get there. Tonight?"

"Yeah." Edward nodded. "And you can invite anyone else that you like. We can make it a group thing."

"I'll ask Jessica and them. Thanks, Edward." I said, happy that he wanted more to go then just the two of us. It's not that I didn't want to spend time with him alone, but there were already enough rumors going around about the two of us (started by Jessica no doubt) over the fact that I spent so much time at his house. This movie would only make it seem like we were dating, and I don't think I could handle any more rumors and people asking me how good of a kisser Edward was. It was becoming more than slightly annoying, and maybe this would end them, though I highly doubted it. People were stupid and clung to things for too long, but, then again, so did the gods. I would never be able to escape it.

"Kay. I'll pick you up at seven." Edward said, and all of a sudden I heard a loud gasp from my side. I turned around and there stood Jessica. She had a look of shock and giddiness mixed with a little bit of envy on her face. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"It's not what you think." I told her with a slight sharpness to my voice. Her assumptions were starting to get on my last nerves. "He's—"

"Everyone take your seats." Mr. Wineberg said loudly, cutting me off.

"I'll tell you after class." I mouthed to Jessica before she ran off. I didn't know if she caught it, not that it mattered. After class she was going to pounce on me like a cat on a mouse. I just prayed that she wouldn't hurt me too badly, though I didn't have high hopes. I sighed deeply, and pulled out my notebook for the notes that Mr. Wineberg had put up on the board. I uncapped my blue pen, and tried to block out the horribleness I knew was to come.

Class went by too quickly, and in a matter of no time Jessica had me cornered outside. I had hardly taken two steps out the door when she had grabbed my arm and pushed me up against the wall so that we wouldn't get run over by the masses of people going by. I pulled out of her vice-like grip. "I told you it's not what you think," I began. That just made her eyes dance gleefully. Of course she had to figure that I was lying. In her mind what else could I be doing?

"Tell me everything," she demanded almost breathlessly. I shouldn't have been surprised by her intense desire for juicy gossip, but I was. She had the look of a wild animal, and I was her prey. It was more than a little scary.

"Edward asked me to a movie tonight…" Jessica opened her mouth to squeal, I just knew it, so I pressed on before she had the chance. Her yelling was ear-shattering, and I wasn't ready to lose my hearing. "But wants it to be a group thing, so I'm inviting all of you at the lunch table," I finished in a flash. Jessica closed her mouth in disappointment, which made me happy.

"But he said he'll pick you up," she protested quite lamely. Jessica was trying to understand the situation, but was falling short. I felt some pity for her. Her mind was stuck in the cliché ideas that TV shows idiotically broadcasted, and couldn't grasp that Edward and I were just friends, and it wasn't going anywhere. It didn't have to. The two of us were perfectly happy with being friends, at least I hoped so. I really liked Edward and all, but I couldn't date him. He was still a nymph after all. Nothing was going to change my feelings on that topic.

"So?" I asked with a shrug. "I'm glad he's willing to drive because I sure the hell don't know where we're going. I would get us lost."

"Well this makes no sense." Jessica mumbled to herself. I had to suppress a laugh.

"It does, Jessica, if you stop trying to read too much into it." I told her. Jessica shook her head as if she was dismissing my words like a small fuzzy in her hair.

"He has a thing for you. He has to!" She cried, and I took a step away from her. "Maybe he's…" Her face lit up like a light bulb. I groaned. What she had just realized could not be good. At least not for me it wasn't. "He's taking his time. That's it. He wants to take it slow. Smart boy." Jessica grinned widely. I could have hit her. What the hell?! Couldn't she just drop it? "I have to go tell everybody." Jessica started to walk away from me.

"Jessica, please don't…" I tried to beg her, but she ignored me and continued on. I kicked the wall behind me; scaring a couple of freshmen. "Damn bitch!" I growled, and then tried to calm down. It wouldn't do me any good to be pissed with her. It would ruin my entire night, and I really wanted to enjoy the movie with my friends. I would just have to block out Jessica and all her stupidity, and move on. I had to be the bigger person, which was not something that I was used to. But I was going to try, at least for tonight I would.


	18. Certain WarIf

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The Oracle stared up into the hateful eyes of the King of Gods, and tried not to let the fear that he was striking in her heart show on her face. She had to remain in charge and strong. The Oracle set her jaw and bawled her hands into fists. There was no way that she was going to let him bully her into the information. No matter what he did to her. "I've told you already that I can't help you," she told him in an even tone that didn't betray her feelings. Zeus narrowed his eyes into slits, looking like a wicked snake.

"I have commanded you. Now do as I say!" He yelled in a booming tone. The building in which the two of them stood literally shook from his fury. The Oracle's knees began to shake, but she couldn't give in. She had to remain steady.

"It's against the rules that your nieces placed on me all those years ago for bringing about the rise of Hitler," she said, attempting to sound reasonable. If she screamed back at him she was likely to get her head ripped off her shoulders, and Zeus wouldn't think twice about it. Ruthless asshole. He wasn't any better than Aro, but she wasn't going to tell him that. No point in pissing Zeus off more than he already was.

"Tell me where the hybrid is," Zeus demanded. His tone had gone from fierce to eerily calm, and the Oracle knew that she was in deep. One more word could royally screw her over, but she couldn't do anything about it. She wasn't going to give it to him. "Now." The Oracle shook her head.

"I would love to, but if I did I would upset the balance of things." The Oracle tried to explain to him. And what she said was the truth. No one other than those who already knew of the hybrid could find out her identity. Especially Zeus. He would try to get rid of the girl, and that couldn't happen. Her death would mark the destruction of everything. Cronus would be the last of their problems. No, the hybrid had to remain a secret. At least to him and the other, few, council members that were still clueless. "Just drop it, Zeus."

"Do you realize what's at stake?" Zeus asked, sounding like a school teacher talking to a retarded student. The Oracle ignored this. It was usually how he spoke to everyone. It was nothing new. He figured that he knew everything, though it had taken him forever to figure out that Hera had cheated on him, which had resulted with the first hybrid. Thankfully he had been more vampire than god, but still. If Zeus had paid more attention to his wife then none of this would have happened. None. All of what was going on right at this moment could have been avoided.

"I do, but you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing." The Oracle responded. Zeus started to turn red again. "Things will work out if you leave things to how they're supposed to work out. Don't get involved, or certain war will break out," she continued.

"If it's war that bastard wants, then its war he will get!" Zeus declared.

"No!" The Oracle shouted. Zeus stared at her too shocked to lash out. "If you start war with the

Volturi then all will be lost. The vampires are too numerous and strong for you gods to conquer. Listen to me, Zeus. The Fates already have something planned. Do not go against them." She warned darkly.

"Who do you think—"

"U-um…excuse me?" A timid voice cut off Zeus's rising voice. Both of them gazed to where the voice had come from. A figure was standing by the only door that the building contained, and he was gazing down at his feet. The Oracle couldn't blame him. Zeus was in a really bad mood, and the newcomer had just interrupted him.

"What is it Hermes?" Zeus barked. Hermes didn't raise his head as he said,

"I have bad news."

"What else do you ever bring me?" Zeus asked, though he wasn't being sarcastic. Hermes chuckled slightly anyways, it was more like a strangled gargling noise, and then nodded.

"Point, Father." He almost whispered.

"Well?" Zeus quizzed impatiently. He even started to tap his foot. "Get on with it!"

"Y-yes…Prometheus has been freed," Hermes told him with terror ringing in every syllable. The Oracle felt sorry for the god. This had to be more than difficult.

"What?!" Zeus practically screamed. In a flash he was next to his son with his hands clamped around Hermes's throat. Zeus shook him violently, and the Oracle longed to help the boy, but she didn't make a move. Zeus couldn't kill Hermes by crushing his windpipe. It was impossible. Only Hermes's weakness could finish kill him, and the Oracle doubted that Hermes had told his father what that was. All the gods kept their weaknesses to themselves. It was a precious secret, but the Oracle didn't have a weakness. In fact, she had many. The Oracle wasn't a god, so Zeus could easily finish her off if he cared to. And the Oracle had to live. Death was not an option for her. "How did he get lose? Only a member from the Council of Power could have…" Zeus all of a sudden trailed off, and let go of Hermes, whom fell to the ground as he gasped for air. "You know who?" Zeus growled as he turned his attention back to the Oracle. She nodded. "I demand—"

"Look to your sons," the Oracle said, knowing that the Fates were going to torture her horribly for the information that she had just given. It wasn't much, but it was still against the rules. At least it would get Zeus off her back and make him forget about the hybrid. For a little while it would. "One of them has betrayed you. No, I cannot tell you who exactly, and I advise that you don't bring it up to them. He will deny it all, so spy. Now I have to leave." The Oracle placed her hand to her temple and mumbled a few words in ancient Greek. "Sorry I couldn't be more help." She told Zeus just before she was transported back to the place that had been forced to be her home for the past sixty years.


	19. Greasy Pizza

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"Can I have a slice of cheese pizza please?" Angela asked. Ben, whom was parked right next to her in the one of the booths that we were all sharing, handed her one from the array of trays that were placed in the middle of the tables. Almost every kind of pizza the place offered was before us, and what's sad is that it would all get eaten. Guys were guys and we had five in the group. Nothing eatable was safe from the vacuums known as their mouths. I almost felt bad for the pizza place. Angela kissed Ben briefly on the cheek before taking a huge bite out of her greasy slice.

"I'll take two." Lauren said.

"Whatever you want, baby," Tyler told her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Jessica and Eric made gagging noises. "What?" Tyler demanded throwing them both dirty a dirty look. They stopped, but giggled a little.

"You're whipped, man." Mike said through his chewing. Jessica and Eric nodded in agreement.

"I am not!" Tyler protested, and I was surprised to see that he hugged Lauren even closer to his chest. She didn't appear too thrilled about until she caught the pissed off glare on Jessica's face. All of a sudden her eyes lightened and Lauren snuggled even closer to Tyler, which made his day. I fought the urge to kick them all underneath the table. They were acting very immature. I know that Jessica and Lauren hated one another and it wasn't the brightest idea to have them in such a tight area together, but Tyler had asked if he could bring Lauren and I couldn't tell him no. As I was thinking: the more the merrier. Now I wish I could take it all back. This was getting very annoying, and fast. At the movies it had taken all that I had not to strangle them with my jacket. Plus we had almost been kicked out, though that was mostly Mike and Eric's fault. I was never going anywhere with them again. Never! They were almost worse than Aphrodite.

"Who tells their girlfriend, 'whatever you want, baby', unless they're whipped?" Mike quizzed like it was so simple, but Tyler was too wrapped around Lauren's finger to see it.

"I do," Ben said, and grabbed a hold of Angela's hand. She smiled warmly at him. Man, they were such a cute couple. So unlike Tyler and Lauren. And they weren't irritating. I could be around them and not want to pry my brain out with my bare hands.

"Yeah, but that's you." Eric said, and waved away Ben's words. "Angela doesn't remind me of a black widow."

"Excuse me?" Lauren gave Eric a wicked look that could curdle milk, and he yelped. Mike punched him in the arm.

"Now she'll come after you." Mike shook his head with pity. "You're a dead man."

"Yes, he is." Tyler looked ready to explode. "Just remember that I'm your ride home. What if I 'accidently' lose control of the wheel?"

"You wouldn't!" Eric's mouth was open like he was mortified. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Tyler, Mike, and Eric always bickered with each other. It was something that they had to do when they were around one another. I hadn't once seen them get along. Why were they friends in the first place? Did no one else want to hang out with them? Well, if so, I could believe it. I hardly wanted to hang out with them. Especially after tonight.

"Keep talking and we'll find out." Tyler said, and then tore into his Canadian bacon covered pizza.

"Calm down everyone." Edward raised his hands. Angela, whom had been chatting with Jessica quietly, stopped, and everyone turned their attention to him. "We came to have a good time. I don't want the people to throw us out because we're too loud…or because of bloodshed." Tyler and Eric shifted their eyes to the side, clearly ashamed of being called out in front of the entire group. "Now do we all agree to discontinue this stupid bickering?" Everyone nodded slightly. Edward grinned. "There."

"Thanks." I told him as everyone went back to their meals. Edward shrugged.

"It was getting nasty pretty fast. I was starting to get worried for their lives." He offered as an explanation. I couldn't help but agree. "So did you like the movie?" Edward asked after a couple of moments.

"I would have rather stayed home," I said before I realized how he might take my words.

"Oh." Edward sounded hurt. "Sorry. The horror one looked better, but I figured that the others might not want to watch something like that."

"You misunderstood me." I felt like such an ass. Damn me and my big mouth. I needed to start thinking before I spoke. "The movie sucked and I bet something else at home would have been better, but I had fun. Really I did. Well…until that old lady started beating Mike with her purse. That sort of ruined the mood."

"I swear she was carrying bricks!" Mike declared through a mouthful of sausage pizza.

"A fly could kick your butt with one missing wing." Eric scoffed.

"Says you," Mike challenged back. Tiny pieces of pizza flew everywhere. Lauren squealed as she ducked behind Tyler, and Jessica tried to suppress a laugh.

"Outside we wrestle." Eric demanded in typical guy fashion.

"You're on!" Mike shook his hand. Jessica nudged him with her elbow; totally forgetting about Lauren.

"No." She told him. "You already look like a dork right now with sauce covering your mouth. Do you really want to look even dorkier when Eric beats your ass down?"

"You have no confidence in me, do you?" Mike accused.

"Nope," Jessica grinned.

"Good thing the two of you—"

"Bella?" A voice called, cutting Eric off in midsentence. We all wiped around to see a girl about our age walking toward us. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, but attempting not to look so eye-catching with her baggy clothes. That was a big clue, and told me that she definitely wasn't human. Was there another nymph around here? Please no. One was enough.

"Do I know you?" I asked the girl. She was now standing at the end of the table where I sat.

"It's me," she bent down so that the others wouldn't see as her stunning brown eyes turned to a startling green with the shapes of music notes surrounding her pupils. I almost gasped.

"Terpsichore?" I whispered. Terpsichore nodded, and then grinned. "What are you doing here?" I asked, confused by the muse's presence.

"I'll tell out there." Terpsichore pointed to the wide window that gave a perfect view to the parking lot outside. "You don't mind if I borrow, Bella, do you guys?" She addressed everyone else. "I would love to catch up with my old friend."

"Yeah, we used to be neighbors in Arizona." I quickly lied.

"Arizona? Oh, yes. When we were younger." Terpsichore added, playing along. "Guys?"

"Go ahead," Jessica told her.

"Thank you." Terpsichore smiled widely, and then I got up. I followed the muse of dance to the door, and in few moments we were standing in the cold. We turned to face one another.

"Now spill," I demanded after a few moments; wrapping my jacket around me. It wasn't too bad out, but it was still chilly.

"I was on my way to see a friend, and I just happened to glance in and see you. I wanted to say hi." Terpsichore told me. "It's been forever. You look pretty good."

"Thirty or forty years." I corrected, which wasn't long for me. "And thanks. Who's your friend?" I was curious. Normally the muses didn't leave Mount Olympus, and when they did they were never alone. Something was wrong, and I didn't like it.

"Um…you wouldn't know him." Terpsichore said, but couldn't meet my gaze. That let off a shock to my nerves. I knew that none of the muses would betray Zeus and turn to Aro, but still. This was as odd as when Demeter had Erebus over all those weeks ago. What was going on?

"Is it Erebus?" I quizzed. Terpsichore shook her head. Hey, it was worth a shot. "You can tell me, can't you?"

"No. Rhea would be so mad if I…" She trailed, and looked horrified by what had just come out of her mouth. "Forget I mentioned her name." That only intrigued me more. Rhea was never usually brought up in conversation. She mostly kept to herself, and didn't get involved with anything, so I was extremely surprised.

"Rhea? Why would she…Hey, does that have anything to do with why Hestia won't leave my house?" Deep down I felt that it was all connected: Demeter, Erebus, Hestia, and now Terpsichore and Rhea. It had to be. "Terpsichore? What's going on?" I practically begged. If she didn't tell me then no one would. Demeter was tight lipped about the entire thing, and wouldn't talk to me for days if I mentioned it, which didn't cut off my interest, but I had given up on her telling me. Same thing with Hestia. Terpsichore was my last chance to get the information that I longed for.

"N-nothing. Why would you think that?" Terpsichore began to fidget with her huge gray shirt. I wanted to scream. Why was everyone keeping secrets from me? I wasn't a child! I could handle the truth. I could! This was starting to really piss me off.

"Please." I tried once more. "I promise to—"

"No. I can't, Bella." Terpsichore said with more firmness than I thought she contained. She was the gentler of her sisters. "This was a mistake. I need to go." And before I knew it she was sprinting away from me into the pitch black, leaving me confused and furious. But there was nothing that I could do about it. She had been my last option, and now she was gone. I would have to wait until I was seventeen or until whatever horrible thing was going on turned its ugly head to me. I prayed it wouldn't, but I had a feeling that it would. And sooner then I would like.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket, and headed back inside, though I no longer wanted the pizza or the company of my friends. What I would have preferred to do was chase after Terpsichore, but there was no telling where she had gone off to. Plus she was a goddess, and had all the powers of one. There was no way that I would find her if she didn't want to be found. "Damn it." I growled out loud for it was all that I could do.


	20. Prom Date

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I put the brief meeting with Terpsichore out of my head. What was the point in dwelling on it? It would just put me in a bad mood, and then I would scare away all my friends and get into a ton of fights with Demeter. I didn't want either of those things to happen, so I ignored the issue. There would come a time when I would have no choice but to address it head first, but that is was in the far future. Right now all I was concerned with was spending time with my friends and getting by in school. Two time consuming things that I adored to do. Well, not so much the school, but it wasn't that bad. I had been in much worse. The stuff made me feel normal; something that I hadn't felt in many, many years. I was just like everyone else, and I really liked that. I didn't want to be anything special. I wasn't anything special, just how I enjoyed it.

One day towards the end of April, I was running with Jessica on the track for gym, and just happened to glance at her and notice that, once again, she was wearing a wide grin on her face. It made her seem young and absolutely stunned, and it had been there since that morning, but I hadn't thought much of it till now. "What are you so chipper about?" I asked her as we rounded a corner. I was very curious. Jessica hadn't looked this happy in a long time.

"Ryan Taylor asked me to Prom in second period," Jessica gushed. Her eyes twinkled like bright stars. She had been talking about Ryan for the past couple of weeks, saying how much she would love to date him. Well, now she had her chance and I was happy for her.

"Great." I told her, giving her the best thumbs up that I could mange.

"Thanks. Who's taking you to Prom?" Jessica quizzed, dropping her grin. She had turned serious, and I gazed at her sudden change in demeanor.

"Prom?" I questioned with some confusion.

"Yeah, Prom. The…wait…don't you know what Prom is?" Jessica's eyes slightly bugged as she waited for my answer.

"Of course I d…no, I have no idea what Prom is." I admitted quietly, feeling really stupid from the look that Jessica was giving me. The way she made it sound Prom was a widely known fact that didn't get by anyone. Great. I wasn't going to hear the end of this. Another thing to get Jessica talking about me. What joy.

"Are you serious?" Jessica sounded on the verge of laughing hysterically, and I wanted to shove her head in the grassy football field that wasn't too far away. "How can you not know what Prom is? Didn't your old school in Italy have it?"

"Not that I know of," I said with a shrug. I hadn't been there long enough to find out, and that wasn't my fault. Aro was the ass that kept chasing me, but I couldn't tell her that.

"Oh, my!" Jessica cried, and then broke down into a fit of hard giggles. She had to stop running so that she wouldn't fall over. I stopped with her, and did my best to wait patiently for her to discontinue. It wasn't easy, but I succeeded. And it was only a few moments before her laughing subsided, and I was able to ask her what exactly Prom was. "It's a dance." Jessica said as she wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

"Then why don't they just call it that?" And then I wouldn't have to look like such a loser and have my friend laugh at me.

"Because it's a fancier sort of dance," Jessica explained, still with humor in her voice. "Everyone dresses up in amazing clothes, and it's a blast."

"Oh." I wasn't too impressed by the sound of it. Dances weren't really my thing. I've gone to one or two in my life time, but I never really had any fun. They all turned out to be boring, and had too much drama for my liking.

"You are going to go, aren't you?" Jessica asked, getting serious once again. "Now that you know what it is."

"Um…I'll think about." I said, though I was almost already set against it.

"No, you have to go." Jessica demanded. I raised an eyebrow. What was she? My mother? "But you can't go alone. You have to have a date."

"Why?"

"You'll look so pathetic without one." Jessica answered simply.

"Jessica!" I couldn't believe how mean she was being. "That was very bitch-like of you."

"It's the truth." Jessica said as an explanation for her cruel words. "Ask anyone in the school, and they'll tell you the same."

"So what if I show up without one? Will you completely avoid me?" I was curious. I didn't think that she would, but with Jessica you could never tell.

"Probably," Jessica said, but then grinned. "No, I couldn't do that. We're best friends, and I love you, Bella. But you can't go without a date."

"Basically you've made up my mind on whether I'm going or not?" I was amused. Jessica was so pushy, but most of the time it was in a good way.

"Yup." Jessica nodded with a giggle.

"Well, then I guess I have no choice, and…I'll try to find a date." I told her, feeling slightly annoyed with me for giving in to her, but it wasn't so bad. I would live. Now I had to deal with the issue of finding a guy to go to Prom with. But who would I ask? I didn't like anyone here, and… ah well. It didn't matter. If I didn't find someone then Jessica would for me because she was such a great friend and didn't want me to look pathetic. You just had to love her.

"Yay!" Jessica squealed, and then hugged me. I chuckled a little, and then we started to jog again. "We'll go shopping for dresses this weekend, OK?"

"OK." I agreed before the both of us broke out into a grueling run.

We were silent for the rest of the period as we ran, but in the locker room Jessica started babbling and told anyone that would listen that I was clueless about the entire Prom thing. I shook my head and did my best to block her out as I put my clothes on. She was just being herself, and really wasn't doing me any harm. After I was dressed, I hurried upstairs so that I could get my stuff and meet Edward out at his car. He picked me up each morning and dropped me off. I didn't mind. It was a free ride for me, and it gave us some time to chat without people staring at us with wide eyes. Yes, the rumors were still flying around like crazy, and I placed all the blame on Jessica. Not that she cared. She took pride in talking about my fantasy love life that she had created, and it didn't seem like she would be stopping anytime soon. All I could do is roll my eyes at her silliness. It was difficult to stay mad at Jessica for very long, and I would waste all my energy if I tried.

"Hey, Bella," Edward said brightly as he walked toward me. I was leaning on the hood of his Volvo, and waved enthusiastically when I caught sight of him. "Enjoy gym?"

I made a face. "No, but, then again, I never do." Edward laughed, and unlocked the doors with a button on his keychain. I stood up straight, grabbed my backpack, and flung myself into the passenger seat. Edward got in the driver's side and started the car. We pulled out of the student parking lot, and just as we did I got an idea that made me very happy. I prayed that Edward would go along with me. "Um…Edward?" I asked after we were silent for a sort while.

"What?"

"Do you have a date to Prom?" I hated how the words made me sound like some shy freshmen asking her long time crush to the spectacular dance. Man…It was so frustrating.

"Nope," Edward said, not noticing my discomfort with what I was saying. I was glad for that. I didn't want him get the wrong idea and think that I actually liked him in that sense. That would truly mortify me to no end.

"Good…would you go to Prom with me?" I blurted out almost too fast for me to even understand. What the hell? It was just some silly dance. I needn't be so nervous. It wasn't like I was asking Edward out in that sense. Wouldn't that be the day?

"You know that would make all the rumors ten times worse, right?" Edward asked, taking a right turn on Main Street. I nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes, but I'll handle it." Yeah, Jessica would have a field day and then some. She might even possibly pass out from the sheer shock of it, if she even found it shocking. I mean Jessica was saying that Edward and I were madly in love with one another, we just were too blind to notice it. So me asking him to Prom was probably what she was expecting.

"Haven't you been asked yet?"

"Not that I can recall." I answered with a smile. "So, will you?"

"Sure." Edward agreed. "Just as friends?"

"Of course," I told him. Then I sighed happily. "At least now I won't have to deal with Jessica trying to set me up with some slug that makes my flesh crawl. Thank you so much, Edward."

"Hey, it's my pleasure, Bella." Edward looked over at me, and smiled. "So do you have any demands for my tux?" Edward said as he pulled onto my street.

"How could I? I just found out about Prom today." I replied as I gathered my bag into my lap. We were getting closer to my house.

"You mean the date?" Edward seemed to not understand what I was saying, which meant that my nymph friend was no fool to the term Prom. Great. "I thought every girl had it memorized at the being of their high school career."

"Not me. I didn't know what Prom was until Jessica explained it during gym." I said, trying not to sound shameful. It wasn't easy, and I fell short.

"Seriously?" Edward sounded just as amused as Jessica had. I sucked in my cheeks.

"Is that a problem?" I growled lightly.

"Not to me, but now that makes sense to what some people were mumbling about when I was at my locker." Edward explained. I groaned. So it had spread that quickly. Way to go Jessica. That had to be a record. She should be so very proud.

"She better be glad that I love her so." I mumbled out loud with a shake of my head. Edward chuckled as we entered my driveway. I sighed, and reached for my door's handle. "Thanks for the ride, and I'm glad that you'll be my date." I said to Edward.

"I'm here anytime you need to be saved from the workings of Jessica." Edward smiled.

"You don't mind being used?"

"By you? No. You can use me all that you want. Whenever you want," Edward declared with humor, but also a hint of sincerity. I rolled my eyes.

"Better be careful. I might just hold you to that." I warned with a wink. Then I opened the door, flung my backpack over my shoulder, and waved before I shut the door. "Bye, Edward!" I called.

"Bye, Bella!" He replied with a quick wave. I flicked my wrist in a farewell, and started away from the Volvo for home. Demeter was going to flip when she heard that I had a date to Prom with the nymph. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face.


	21. Ready To Play

**Sorry that things seem to be going slow (as someone pointed out), but this chapter should satisfy something for action. Or, well, at least it foreshadows action that will happen very soon. I'm sorry that it's extremely short, but I hope that you all enjoy it. And please review!**

"I have her sent." Jane hissed at Demetri as they ran through the thickly woven trees of the forest just outside of Port Angeles. It was much faster than traveling on the roads where a human might get a quick glimpse of them. Not that they would know what they were seeing exactly. The two vampires were moving too fast for a human to completely see them with their poor vision, but it was still too much to risk. There might be enemies around, and Jane was in no mood to take down some nosy shifter. "She's in the city not too far ahead."

"We have no business being here." Demetri told her for the thirtieth time. "Aro will not like this one bit. He told us to wait for a few months. Let them get to know one another, and develop something close. That's the only way that the plan will work."

"Will you just shut up?!" Jane snapped, sick and tired of his nagging. He had been on her case ever since they had taken off from Italy two nights ago. She would have preferred to have gone on this trip with Alec, but he was still recovering. And didn't have the energy to spare to travel the great distance that they had gone. So she was stuck with Demetri, whom ranted on and on like an old lady. "I'm not going to hurt the girl, though I long to ring that pretty little neck of hers. No, I'm only going to observe her." But that wasn't the only reason why she was so far from her post. There were other things in the area that Jane was curious about, and wanted to check out.

"And did you mention this to Aro?" Demetri asked as he bounded over a small crick that lay in their path. Jane leapt right after him, and landed more gracefully then any cat could ever dream of on the other side, but that didn't slow up her stride.

"Would we be here if I had?" Jane growled, picking up the pace. Bella's tainted sent was growing in sharpness. Jane suppressed her demand to gag as wave after wave of the repulsive smell hit her nose. Bella wasn't right, and was a threat to all that Jane knew. The abomination needed to be destroyed, but, sadly, the time wasn't right. Bella needed to stay alive for just a little while longer. They needed her to find the key and then have her activate it or whatever she was supposed to do with the thing. After that Cronus would be free and all the gods would pay, and if she knew Aro like she thought that she did then he was going to find some way to take down their creator. That was just the kind of creature that Aro was. Power hungry, sly, and terrible.

"This is a foolish idea." Demetri mumbled. Jane flicked her head around, and glared daggers at the guard that had replaced her brother. He avoided her hot look.

"I never asked for you to join me on this, but you had to insist. Go back home if you want. I won't stop you." Jane bit out each word and shot them at him like bullets. Demetri gulped, but didn't make any sign of turning around and leaving. Jane raised an eyebrow. "That was your only chance. If you complain one more time I will tear out your throat." She promised. Demetri nodded slightly. Jane snorted at his submissiveness. He was pathetic, and wasn't worthy enough to stand by her side as a protector of Aro. Demetri was nothing compared to Alec. "Bella is only a detour in this trip. What is more important than that bitch is the coven of traitors." Jane explained. Her tone still harsh and clipped. "But to find them we have to get close to her."

"I don't understand." Demetri said softly as if he was too afraid to speak up. That made Jane laugh, but she didn't comment.

"They've been following her for some time now. They know that she's almost seventeen, and, being who they are, they will try to stop us from using her." Jane told him. "And if I get the opportunity I'll take one or two of them down."

"Won't that piss off Aro?" Demetri quizzed. Jane shrugged as they reached the outskirts of the forest. The city lay just ahead as did the hybrid.

"He never told me that they were off limits. They're fair game," Jane replied with a wicked grin. "And trust me; I'm in the mood to play."


	22. Perfect Prom Dress

**Chapter 22. Whoo!!!!!!! Celebrate. Sorry it's taken so long. I've been really tired lately, and would always pass out before I could get online. But not to worry. Here's the next chapter. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review. **

The day was incredibly long. Jessica dragged both Angela and I to all sorts of stores in the search for the perfect prom dress. The theme of Prom was Masquerade, and I was ready to personally slaughter the moron that had decided upon that idea. Nothing was right for what Jessica had in mind, meaning that my entire day was filled with her cries of frustration and random freak outs. By the time we reached the last place in the entire city that offered dresses I was exhausted and more than a little annoyed. I threw myself down into a soft chair by the wall and closed my eyes. How could people stand to do this on a regular basis? After only four hours I was close to going insane.

"Oh, no you don't," Jessica barked, making towards where my exhausted body sat in a heap. She tugged on my hand until I was in an upright position, and my jelly-like legs hinted at giving out at any moment. "You have to help me choose something good."

"Can't Angela do that?" I groaned. I had meant it to be more of a growl, but I was so tired that all I could get out was a pathetic groaning noise.

"No. I need the both of you, and, besides, you don't have a dress yet, either." Jessica pointed out with no sign of compromise in her tone. I was screwed, and I knew it, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to try to avoid what she proposed.

"So? I can just pick one randomly off that rack that will fit me," I told her as a last attempt to get myself out of shopping. I thought that it was a good plan. I really wasn't in the mood to try on dozens of different dresses. It all seemed like to much work for Prom. I now regretted ever agreeing in going to the thing. What the hell had I allowed Jessica to talk me into to?

"If you do that you'll look like a fool, and I will not be seen with a fool at Prom." Jessica said with some force to her voice. I wanted to be shocked by Jessica's attitude, but, sadly, I wasn't. She had been on edge all day, and all I was doing was pushing her over. I sighed, finally giving up, and let her drag me towards the back of the store. I wasn't going to fight anymore. I just wanted to get the day over with, and go home. I was so flipping tired!

"Here," Angela handed me some puffy dresses the moment that she saw me. "Jessica thinks that these would look good on you."

"Oh, yay!" I mumbled under my voice, but Angela heard me and gave me an apologetic smile. I returned a sort of grimace, and hugged the prom dresses close to me. That was the only way that I could carry the idiotic things.

"Dressing rooms are over there," Jessica pointed with her finger. "And don't forget to come out and show us what you look like in them."

"God forbid me if I do." I said, and then made my way over to them. There weren't too many people in the store, so I didn't have to worry about waiting for someone to get out of a dressing room. There were plenty. I got entered one, shut the door, and laid the dresses down onto the single chair that was in the tiny room. There were four all together. One lime green colored, one blackish blue one, one neon pink, and the last one was a deep red. I made a face at all of them before I decided to try red one on first. There was no point in putting it off. I knew that if I waited too long Jessica would storm into the fitting room and demand to know why I wasn't parading around yet. Plus if I didn't have a dress on she would force me into one, and I really wanted to avoid that ordeal.

I stripped out of my jeans and hoodies, and then picked up the dress. I unzipped the back, and stuck my leg into the hole at the top. I did the same with the other, and then shimmed the thing up my body. I did my best to zip up the back, and when I couldn't get the zipper any higher I decided that I better go out and show the other two. I stepped out of the dressing room a little hesitantly. The dress was too long for me, and I was afraid that I might trip on the thing.

Both Angela and Jessica turned and stared at me, wearing the same expression, and I knew that the red dress was not what I was going to be wearing at to Prom. What a godsend.

"Ew! What was I thinking?" Jessica cried, sticking out her tongue. "You do not look good in red."

"Thanks." I said sarcastically. "I really feel great."

"It just doesn't compliment you well." Jessica tried to explain. "And I don't think that you should have straps. Do you agree, Angela?"

"I do." Angela nodded her head. "But I think the wider bottom is pretty on her." At least she was trying to make me feel better. She wasn't as blunt as Jessica.

"Yes. It's a good thing that all the ones I picked out have it." Jessica said. I just rolled my eyes. I really could care less. "Next one!"

"Whatever." I muttered, and then went back into the fitting room. I took off the red dress, and then glanced over the remaining three. The pink one had straps, so I wasn't going to even bother (which made me just a tad bit happy. The thing was hideous), but the other two were good. Well, at least by Jessica and Angela's standards. I chose the lime green one next, put it on, and trooped back out. This time the expressions on Angela and Jessica's faces were better, but not thrilled.

"Not bad." Jessica told me. "I just don't like the bodice. It's too tight, and makes your boobs appear to be tiny."

"That matters?" I asked, glancing down. Sure enough she was right, but I liked the length of the lime green dress. I didn't feel like I was in a deathtrap while wearing it and the color didn't offend my skin tone. Let my boobs be nonexistent! The dress was nearly perfect.

"Of course!" Jessica gave me shake of her head. "It's a good thing that you have me here to help you. You would be nowhere without me."

"I never wanted your help." I countered. "We're shopping for you, Jessica. Why aren't you trying on any dresses?"

"I will. But right now you're the main focus." Jessica smiled sweetly like she was giving me an amazing gift. I just shrugged. The sooner I got it over with the better. At least then we could get of Port Angles quickly. I really wanted to go home.

"OK." I said. "So this is a no?"

"Yup." Jessica nodded. I bit my lip, and, for the last time, went back into the dressing room. There was only one dress left, and if they didn't like it, well that was their problem. I was done. This was it. I took off the green dress, and put on the bluish one. It fit me like a glove, and I was surprised to find that I didn't feel uncomfortable in it. It was even better than the green one. I stepped out of the fitting room, and the moment that Jessica caught sight of me she cheered. "That's the one!"

"Bella, you do look gorgeous." Angela breathed, and I actually blushed. To tell the truth I really liked the dress, and even turned around so that I could look at myself in the mirror that the dressing room provided. The dress hugged my body snugly, but didn't make me appear to have greased myself just so that I could fit into it. I could move, and not seem like I was going to bust out of the dress. The bottom billowed out and pinched off at random areas with pretty gold clasps. The color was perfect for me, and accented my eyes well. The dress was perfect! Ten times better than the green one.

"Wow." I exclaimed, shocked at how amazing I really did look.

"You had better love me!" Jessica growled playfully. "I found the dress."

"I do. Thanks, Jessica." I told her.

"Anytime. Now my turn!" Jessica chimed. So I took the dress off, put back on my clothes, returned the other three, unwanted dress, and then began to assist Jessica. It took us at least a half hour to find one dress that even interested her, and after she tried it on she decided that it was horrible and discarded it. That want on for the next two hours, and by the time that I was ready to pass out, Jessica had written off all the dresses in the store and told us that it was time to go. I almost cheered. We could finally get home!

Angela stood in line with me while I waited to pay for my dress. Jessica was out waiting in the car, no doubt yelling her head off. She was in a sour mood, but I had to put up with her. She was my ride home. The lady at the counter was just about done with the person in front of me, when all of a sudden I felt as if eyes were glaring into the back of my head. I whipped around to the front display window, and I swear that I saw a flash of deep brunette hair. My heart almost stopped. Jane couldn't be here. I was just imagining it. Too much shopping. It was making me see things. At least that's what I told myself as I moved to the counter and handed the woman my dress. I didn't want to think of the negative because then I would be jumpy the rest of the way home, and it was probably nothing.

_I have nothing to worry about. _I tried to tell myself, and even came close to almost believing it. But some small part of me denied that, but I pushed it aside. I had no proof after all. And what was the point in working myself up? Things were going too great for Aro to find Demeter and me now. It just wouldn't be fair if I had to leave now. The Fates couldn't be so cruel.


	23. Jane's Toy

**Guys I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I've been really busy because my friend talked me into being part of the stage crew for my school's musical. Plus a stupid research paper. I hope you guys don't mind. And once again I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad, and I really hope you enjoy this short, but interesting chapter. I'm sorry!!!!!**

"Damn it!" Katrina screamed as Jane closed in on her. She was crouched low into a corner, blood dripping from the large gash across her forehead. Jane smiled quite cruelly at the sight of her prey, and that caused Katrina to shake violently, though she hated to show such weakness. She knew what her fate was to be, and knew that there was no hope. She was done for. Plain and simple as the night is long.

"Beg for your life." Jane demanded in a sickly sweet voice as if that would solve all the bloodshed caused by her own hands. "I want to hear you plead for mercy!"

"What good would that do, you fucking brat. Begging won't save me." Katrina spit at the tiny figure. "You've already slaughtered Tanya and Irina in the worst way possible." And she had. Bits and pieces of their shredded bodies lay around her like a stony carpet. Katrina tried to ignore the devastating sight before her.

"Yes, and I enjoyed it greatly." Jane's eyes danced as she laughed with sick humor. Katrina cringed at the hallow sound as it bounced off the now silent walls of the abandoned house. A few moments before it had been filled with the awful growls of pain and agony, but that had been before the others had been chased off by Demetri. Katrina was the only one left, for she had given up her life so that the others could keep the hybrid safe, and keep Aro from awakening Cronus. It would all be worth it if they completed their mission, and Aro didn't win.

"You're sick." Katrina snapped, not giving in to the little bitch's intimidation.

"At least I'll live to see tomorrow." Jane replied back with a sneer that made her young face appear years beyond her its normal girly appearance.

"Any tomorrow with you in it isn't worth being in," Katrina challenged with more bravery and fire than she felt. She was incredibly weak from the loss of blood, and needed to feed, but she couldn't get away. She was staring her death in its beautiful, horrible little face. Jane was just toying with her first, which was even worse than her actually killing her, but it was to come. Soon… Soon…

"Why you…" Jane took a step closer and kicked Katrina with all her force in the mouth. Katrina felt her lip split open, and the sweet, yet sour taste of used blood filled her mouth. Jane was a small thing, but extremely tough. There was a reason why Aro had her as one of his guards beside the fact that he treasured her like a pet.

"Best you can—"

"Just get rid of her already." Demetri snapped as he came into the room. Jane whipped her head around with an evil glare in her glowing red eyes that made her scarier than a rabid wolf.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" She screeched with a high pitched wail. Demetri recoiled from her words.

"I-I just meant that we n-need to hurry and burn the bodies," Demetri practically whispered. Katrina couldn't help but smirk even as she sat waiting to die. Demetri was a beaten puppy under Jane's harsh demeanor. What a fool. Certainly not the vampire that she remembered from years ago. But that had been a different time then. Back before Aro had decided to revive Cronus. Back when being a vampire actually had some meaning to it. "Surely the neighbors have heard the ruckus that we created?"

"Yes…" Jane trailed off. She turned from him, he no longer held her interest, and stared back at Katrina. "Ready to die?"

"Get it over with." Katrina told her, wanting this too end. It had been going on too long, and she had nothing else to live for. Her sisters were already gone, and it was time to join them on the banks of the Underworld, where all the souls of the damned were forced to remain till the end of eternity.

Jane stepped the few inches between the two of them, bent down, and placed a small hand on each side of Katrina's bloodied head. They locked eyes. "Enjoy hell," Jane mumbled, barely moving her lips. She kissed Katrina on the head for spite, and then yanked hard. Katrina felt a sharp pull before everything went black. She was dead.


	24. Finally Prom Night

**Wow. I haven't updated in forever. I'm sorry. I've been busy. Gr...I don't like it. It sucks, but what can I do? Anyways. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. I think ya'll like it. Please review! Thanks for being patient. **

The music, something that I only recognized as rap (I had no clue what the song was saying. The lyrics were impossible to understand), pulsed through the many sweaty bodies that crowed Forks High gym, and for the first time I was so happy that I wasn't a full god yet. I would have been shocked to death if I had to hear this crappy beat with the super hearing that came along, among a number of other things, with becoming an adult god. Who in their right mind listened to this horrible junk on a daily basis? It was so retarded, and I couldn't move to it at all. I stood in a group with Edward, Jessica whom was attempting to dance along with Ryan to the horrible song, Eric and some pretty girl that he had chosen for his date, Mike whom was all alone (though that didn't seem to phase him in the slightest), Tyler and Lauren whom didn't seem to be getting on Jessica's nerves for a nice change, and Angela and Ben who looked to be about as annoyed with the music as I was.

"Hey, anyone want to get a drink with me!" I tried to shout over the obnoxious rap. Edward, whom was standing right next to me, Angela, and Ben all nodded their heads. I had figured they would. Mike, Jessica, Ryan, Tyler, Eric, and his date all seemed to be having a grand time. Freaks. I hoped that their brains turned to mush.

I and my small group of non-rap fans all migrated out of the gym to a small hallway where the school was providing us juniors and seniors with food and refreshments. All the stuff was laid out on a couple of tables, and I got a few cups and started to pour some punch for me and my friends. There weren't many others around the tables. Almost everyone was in the gym.

"How many rap songs have they played?" I quizzed as I handed a full cup to Angela. She shrugged her shoulders, and took a sip of the red drink.

"I don't know. But there'll be more. Maybe we should hide out here?" She suggested in a sort of joking way, but I could tell that she was being serious too.

"Jessica will hunt us down." Edward said, shaking his head. I tried to hand him a cup of punch, but he politely waved it away. "We'll have to go back in a face the music sometime soon than later. Pun intended."

"Ugh," Ben sighed, drinking a bit from his own cup. "At least we all look good." He smiled, and I had to agree. Every single one of us, even those still dancing in the gym, looked amazing tonight. All of us were glowing, and all our dresses and suits appeared to have been tailored just for our bodies. We all looked perfect, though I figured that was because of how giddy we all were. Prom just seemed to have that effect on everyone. It really wasn't anything special. The music was lame and the food wasn't all that great, but the way everyone acted it made everything seem so much better than it actually was. The excitement just went through the roof, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, Ben." I said as I finished off my drink.

"No problem." Ben replied, empting his cup as well. Angela did the same, and then turned towards the food.

"Ew! No," She wrinkled her nose, and side stepped away from the tables. "I can get much better at home. Oh, Bella?"

"What?" I asked.

"We're sleeping over at my house after Prom ends, alright?" She told me.

I nodded my head. "Sounds good to me." I would just have to call Demeter and tell her what was going on. Hestia was now gone, and she was feeling quite lonely, so I couldn't just randomly leave like I had been doing for the past couple of weeks. She wouldn't appreciate that too much, and I really didn't want to piss her off or worry her.

"Do you think we should…?" Ben trailed off as we all heard the song end, and a new one came on. It was much slower than the rap one. "We better get back in the gym." He said, grabbing Angela by the hand. He led her gently, but quickly to the gym doors, and Edward and I followed just behind them. We all entered the gym, but Edward and I hung back as Ben wrapped his arms around Angela and began to slow dance with her. Practically everyone else was doing the same.

"Are we the only ones not dancing?" Edward asked me. I looked around the gym and found a few others that weren't dancing. There were only about four.

"No. There are some other losers over there," I pointed at the others. Edward laughed.

"We're losers, eh?"

"Yup," I grinned.

"Well…would you like to change that?" Edward asked. He was so quiet that I almost didn't hear him. And it didn't help that the slow song was just as loud as the rap song before it, but not as harsh. Thank the gods.

"Are you asking me to dance?" I quizzed. I wasn't really all that surprised, but a tad bit nervous. And I had no clue why.

"If you want," Edward said.

"Sure. Why not?" I smiled brilliantly. Edward returned it, and then led me out to the middle of the gym floor, which was acting as the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he placed his on my hips. I was shocked to find that we fit perfectly together, and his cool hands didn't even bother me as I felt them through my dress. I didn't know if it was because I was comfortable around him…or something else. My heart fluttered at that thought. I couldn't…like Edward like that. I just couldn't. Hadn't I vowed not to?

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked with concern in his voice.

"Nothing," I lied quickly, knowing full well that he probably wouldn't believe me. But I wasn't going to tell him the truth. It was stupid. And maybe I was just caught up in the moment of dancing this close to someone. It was going on eighty years since I had last held someone like this. I was just awkward. That was all.

"Hey I have to warn you." Edward told me. I raised an eyebrow. What could this be?

"What's that?"

"Well, if Jessica or any of them look our way, I might grab your butt for good measure. You know, make me seem cool." Edward said slyly. I flicked the side of his ear, but it wasn't all that hard. More like a gentle tap.

"Edward!" I cried in a slightly angered voice, but in all actuality I was happy that the subject had changed. I didn't like the focus to be on me. That made it much harder to lie. "If you value your hands you won't do such a thing."

"Well we'll just see, won't we?" His tone was playful. I rolled my eyes. He could be completely ridiculous, that didn't annoy me at all. That was just who Edward was, and I adored that about him.

Soon the song ended, and to my relief Edward didn't put his hands anywhere near my backside. At least not until Jessica and all the others came running towards us. In front of them he pinched me, though not hard, and everyone's eyes got wide. I started to giggle at the stunned look on Jessica's face. It was priceless. Better than anyone else's. She was going to hound me when we got to Angela's.

"I can see the two of you had fun." Eric commented with an evil glint to his eye.

"You bet," Edward replied, matching his tone. I slapped both of them in the arm.

"Dorks," I laughed. The others of the group joined me, and then we all began to dance along to the new song. It wasn't rap, so all of us were into it. For the next two hours the music got better, so we all had a great time. The DJ played a couple more slow songs, which Edward and I danced to; making Jessica's eyes bugle even more, one or two rap songs, and a ton of others that I didn't know. Once in a blue moon some of us would go out to get a drink, but then we would rush right back in, not wanting to miss any of the fun to be had. It was truly an amazing night, and I would remember it for as long as I lived, which in my case was going to be a long time. I really didn't want it to end. But like everything good, it eventually did. All too soon in my opinion. I was almost sad as we trooped out of the hot gym, and stood outside as most of the people left to go wherever people went to get off the high that Prom left them with.

I pulled out my phone and called Demeter. She was alright with me staying with Angela, but I sensed a disappointed note in her voice. My heart lurched for her. I felt so bad. She was waiting for Persephone, and that bitch hadn't given her any sign yet of what was going on. I knew that Demeter was really concerned, and I personally wanted to strangle Persephone with my bare hands. What the hell was she doing? The summer solstice was almost here, meaning that Demeter didn't have all that much time left with her spoiled brat of a daughter. I really didn't want Persephone around, but Demeter was so depressed. How could she do this to her? There was no way that she was having fun with Aphrodite. No one could stand her for long periods of time. Well, maybe Ares. But he wasn't all that bright either, and he also got on my nerves. They were perfect for each other.

"You coming, Bella?" Angela yelled at me. I snapped out of my daze and glanced at where she was. She had the front door open of her pickup truck. Jessica was waving in my direction. I shook my head, and then started for them.

"Yeah," I called back. As I walked I put all thoughts of Persephone and her bitchiness to the back of my mind. I didn't want to be in a bad mood after a night like tonight. Plus if I wanted to make it through all of the questions that Jessica had in store without snapping at her, I had to be calm. It wouldn't be fair if I took out my frustration on her.

"You are going to tell me everything," Jessica commanded as I slid in next to her. Angela shut her door and I did the same with mine.

"Yes, you're Highness," I said sarcastically. Jessica stuck her tongue out at me. "But I'm getting out of this thing first." I said, pointing at my dress.

"Agreed," Jessica nodded her head. "No grilling until we lose the awesome dresses that made us the prettiest of the night!"

"Whatever you say," Angela said, starting up the truck. I giggled as did Angela. Jessica ignored us and started rambling about the night. I sighed, but in a nice way. I actually couldn't wait to get to Angela's house. As much as I hated to admit it, I really just wanted to gossip and relax like any other girl my age. It would be a good way to end the night. Free of any drama and problems. Yeah, I was going to enjoy it immensely.


	25. Confused and Pissed

**OMG!!! I am so sorry that it has taken me almost two months to update. I've had so much stuff to do that it isn't even funny. All my teachers have been throwing a ton of junk down my throat, and I've hardly had any time to update. But now I have. Please don't be mad at me, though I can understand if any of you are. I deserve it. Sorry, sorry, sorry! I pray that all of you like this chapter, and don't worry it's not a short one. I wouldn't be that mean. Well, enjoy, and don't forget to review. **

"So what kind of pinch was it?" Jessica asked as she, Angela, and I all sat at the kitchen table the next morning eating the pancakes and bacon that Angela's mother had just made for us. The food tasted amazing, but with all the questions that Jessica was _still _beating me down with (the girl would seriously not stop) I was slowly starting to lose my appetite for the great meal in front of me. Hadn't she milked all that she wanted from me the night before? Hadn't the six hours that we had stayed up going over every single second of Prom last night been enough for her? What more could I possibly tell her?

"How many times do you have to ask this?" I cried with a hint of annoyance to my voice. I prayed that Jessica would notice it and understand that I wanted her to shut up, but I knew that she probably wouldn't. Jessica loved juicy gossip and, unfortunately, Edward's actions last night at Prom where very juicy little tidbits that she couldn't resist. She was as bad as her dog, Rambo, was with one of his smelly treats.

"A million," Jessica said, smiling ever so sweetly. She took a bite out of the piece of bacon that was in her hand, and then put it down on her plate. "And I won't stop until you completely answer the question." She told me as she wiped her fingers on a napkin.

"I have," I said. Jessica gave me a look that told me she believed otherwise. "Jessica, the pinch was just a friendly thing that he did to tease you. It was nothing else. There was no hidden meaning to it. I swear," I insisted almost like a whiney child, but I couldn't help it. She was starting to get on my last nerve.

"Sure…" Jessica trailed off. She flashed a quick wink at Angela, who shook her head and shifted her gaze away from the two of us; pretending that we didn't exist. She was staying out of this little conversation between Jessica and me (damn her for having that option), though I wished that she would speak up and also tell Jessica to leave me alone. Maybe if there was someone else freaking out on Jessica she would stop bugging me. I doubted it, but it still wouldn't hurt to at least try. "So why haven't you two started dating yet?"

"What?" I asked with a forkful of pancake inches from my mouth. I stared at her with a puzzled expression, but I had heard her clearly and what she had just uttered annoyed me to my very core. Why was Jessica starting that whole thing up again? Couldn't she see how it got under my skin whenever she brought it up? Couldn't she forget it? When, if ever, would she let this entire thing die?

"You two dating. Why haven't you guys moved out of the friends' zone?" Jessica repeated like I was a simpleton. This was great. I put down my fork and stared her directly in the eye.

"Never will the two of us get together," I told her with a set jaw. Why couldn't she accept that fact and move on with her life? I didn't like Edward like that. He was just a friend. That was all. Couldn't I have one really good guy friend that I didn't want to smother with kisses? Was that too hard of a concept to grasp? Must I drool over every guy around me? Was that a required thing for me to do because I was a female? Well if so, then I would rather be a male. At least then things would be easier and I could be friends with Edward without people thinking that I was secretly in love with him (and that would only work if I was a straight male, and judging by how the Fates seemed to have a grudge against me I would probably be as straight as a circle).

"Why?" Jessica demanded, not fazed by the fact that she was beginning to piss me off.

"Because I can't," I clipped out.

"Why?" Jessica said again. I felt my eye twitch slightly as I tried to fight off the sudden urge to jump across the table and wrap my hands around her slender neck. Jessica was walking on thin ice. Very, very thin ice. The thread of my last remaining nerve was starting to snap under the demanding pressure that she was placing on me, and I would not be held responsible for what happened if I did lose it. Jessica would have to live the consequences of her nagging actions.

"My family would be disappointed if I dated Edward," I said after a moment or two, hoping that that would get her to stop talking about this certain, agitating subject. "And I don't think that it would be a great idea anyways." Yeah, gods dating nymphs never worked out too well, and throughout history all the gods had been made out to look like the horny assholes that had just wanted the nymphs for their irresistible bodies. I didn't want that to happen to me. I already had to deal with my family's taunting and unexplained hatred for me. If word got out that I had gotten involved with a nymph I would never have a moment of peace. My life would become more of a living hell than it already was.

"That makes no sense at all," Jessica declared, looking extremely disappointed. "The two of you are so right for each other. It doesn't seem right for you and Edward to just be friends."

"Well, we are." I said, glad that something that I had told her was finally sinking into the mush that was called Jessica's brain. "And we're perfectly fine with it."

"You shouldn't be," Jessica pouted. She pushed her plate of half-eaten food away from her and crossed her arms under her chest. I shrugged off her attitude and went back to my breakfast. The table got really quiet as Angela and I finished our pancakes and Jessica sat off in her own little world; the one that I had presently crushed, which was something that I didn't feel too bad about. Maybe what I had told her would get her to end all the rumors that she had started in school. Maybe Edward and I could be good friends without everyone around us expecting the two of us to randomly start making out in the middle of the hallway, though that was a big maybe. But, man, wouldn't that be incredible. One day where I wouldn't have all eyes on me. That would be bliss, almost Heaven.

It seemed like we were done talking about last night and Edward and I so started to let myself calm down a bit. I breathed out a deep sigh and took a sip of my orange juice. As I set my glass down I looked out the window behind Angela. It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Blue skies and a few fluffy clouds. I spaced out as I thought about some of the things that I could do after getting home and taking a long shower. The possibilities were endless. Would Demeter like to get out of the house and spend some time with me? We should go shopping, I told myself. Yeah, that would be fun. I smiled to myself as I came up with something awesome to do with my guardian. It would be nice to stretch our legs. Both of us really needed it and there were some things that I wanted to pick up, too.

I stifled a yawn as a few more minutes passed by and the three of us remained in silence. I started to regret the way that I had spoken to Jessica, but then she broke the silence by saying, "If your family didn't have a problem with Edward and you got off of your high horse, would you think about going out with him?", and that, of course, stopped any of the guilt that I was beginning to feel.

"Jessica, let her be," Angela hissed loudly her first spoken words in almost twenty minutes. She swatted at Jessica's arm, but Jessica shifted away from her. That put her exasperatingly closer to me, and my blood began to boil as she made me the focus of all her attention. I glared back at her with everything that I had, but she didn't bat a single eyelash. I pursed my lips as I tried to think of the best thing to yell at Jessica. _But you would date him, wouldn't you?_ I jumped at that thought as it came out of nowhere and diverted the focal point of my mind off of Jessica. No, I responded to the thought. _Yeah right, _it scoffed._ You felt something for him last night when the two of you were slow dancing. Admit it. _I was only reacting to the fact that I haven't been that close to the opposite sex in many, many years. I don't like Edward. I don't! I declared to the thought? Voice?

Though was I being truly honest with myself? Was I only being pigheaded because I was scared of someone being in my life at the moment? Did I not want someone special to me to get hurt because of the weird obsession that Aro and the Volturi had with me? Or did I really just see Edward as my friend and nothing else? Was Jessica saying that Edward and I should date because she was being a ditsy matchmaker, or did she actually see a spark between the two of us that I was too blind to notice? If I did have feelings for Edward would I be able to bring myself to tell him? If Edward and I dated would we be a good couple? Could I open up and reveal my ---?

"Bella, are you going to answer me?" Jessica asked, breaking me out of the daze that I was falling into. I stared at her widely, my glare, and anger, a thing of the past.

"Um…I- I…" I stuttered. I wasn't sure how to answer for I didn't know how I felt about Edward. I had been so positive about my feelings before she had blurted out that question, but now…well, she had gotten me thinking and that little voice inside my head had made a very good point. So now I was really confused. Damn her! Jessica knew the perfect, right wrong thing to say to set me into a whirlwind of uncertainty.

"Bella, did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I---"

"Jessica, your father's outside!" Angela's mother suddenly called into the kitchen, cutting me off. We all glanced out the window that I had been looking out before and, just as Angela's mother had said, Jessica's father was waiting in his tiny, gray car. I felt my heart leap with joy. Jessica was leaving! I wouldn't have to answer her dumbfounding question until tomorrow and by then I would know exactly what to say to her. I would stay awake all night if I had to thinking up a good response.

"Thanks!" Jessica cried back as she jumped from her seat, almost knocking the chair over. "Are my clothes and stuff still in the bathroom down here?" She asked Angela.

"Yeah," Angela nodded.

"OK. I'll be out in a minute," Jessica said, and then sprinted off for the downstairs bathroom to change out of her ducky pajamas and to wash off the remainder of the glitter that covered her face from last night. In less than three minutes she was back at the table, changed into a pair of jeans and a hoodie with her bag of stuff slung over one of her shoulders and her dress draped over one arm. Jessica picked up her glass of milk, downed it quickly, and then turned to me. "Don't think this is over," she warned. She wagged her finger at me like I was a naughty little student that had just disrupted her class. "I will get an answer from you even if I have to kidnap and torture you first."

"OK," I replied, not placing much stock in her words. Jessica didn't have enough meanness in her body to attack a fly. There was no way that she could torture someone. Well, at least not physically like the CIA did. No, she would use her never ending questions to drive her victim, me, over the edge. That almost seemed worse than the thought of her beating me to a bloody pulp.

"Good," Jessica bobbed her head with satisfaction. "Now if I've forgotten anything, do you promise to bring it to school to---"A sharp honking from outside interrupted her in mid-sentence. "God, I'm coming, Dad! He's so pushy," Jessica mumbled under her breath. Another honk sounded as if it were a response to what she had just said."Gr…Well, I guess I've gotta go. Bye, Angela! Bye, Bella! Bring my junk to school tomorrow!" And with that she flitted from the kitchen and out the front door. I listened as Jessica shouted something to her father and then I heard the car pull out of the driveway.

"Alright…" I trailed off, not sure the right words to say. Angela didn't show any awareness to the fact that I had just spoken, so I decided to stack the plates and other dishes to give me something to do. I gathered up the things that all of us had used for breakfast and began to walk toward the sink with them, but Angela took them my hands in a flash and placed the dishes back on the table.

"My mom can get those. I think we should go get changed," Angela said with something odd ringing in her voice. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. I knew that she didn't want to talk in the kitchen. Angela wanted a more private place, which sort of got me nervous. What was bothering Angela?

"If you say so," I agreed, slightly hesitant, and followed her as she headed for her bedroom. It took us a matter of moments to reach it, and as soon as we were inside and Angela had the door shut tightly, she turned on me with a worried expression that startled me. "What?" I asked, the nervousness that I felt making me uncomfortable in Angela's presence, which was not something that I was used to. Angela was the other person besides Demeter and Edward that I trusted and could really talk to. We weren't best friends, but we were pretty close compared to the relationship that I had with Jessica.

"I just don't understand," Angela said.

"You don't understand what?" I questioned, shocked at her response. That was unexpected. What in the world was she talking about?

"I don't understand _you_, Bella." Angela was twiddling her thumbs as she spoke to me. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant by that, but Angela didn't give me time. She barreled on with what she had to say with an urgency that clearly stated that she was not completely sure why she was telling me what was on her mind but she couldn't help but get it out. It was that important. "Whenever you talk about your family it always seems like you really don't like them. Most, I think, you would rather not associate yourself with. So why in the world would you care what they might think if you dated someone like Edward? Why does their opinion matter so much to you?"

"Well, I…" OK. That had me floored to my spot on her faded green shag rug. Certainly not what I was thinking that she would say, and now I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. How could I answer her with my lame lying skills and have her be fooled by what I told her? There was no way in Hades that I could tell Angela my secret. She wouldn't believe me if I blurted out that I was a teenage demigod whose family frowned upon relationships with flighty nymphs, even though over half of them bore children by such creatures. I would sound completely insane and I really didn't want to lose Angela as a friend over something like that. It wasn't worth it.

"Well, it's kind of complicated." I finally said. It wasn't a very good answer, pretty vague, but at least it was something more then not saying anything at all.

"How complicated are we talking here?" Angela had stopped playing with her thumbs.

"Pretty complicated," I replied. Angela's face fell into a frown.

"Is there something that you would like to talk about?" Angela asked as she gazed at me with a deep concern that made me feel bad about the fact that I couldn't be as honest with her as I wished that I could be. What kind of friend did that make me? Was I any friend at all?

"No," I answered, not able to look her in the eye.

"You can tell me anything, Bella. You know that, right?" Angela stepped closer to me, but I still couldn't meet her stare.

"Yeah, I know." I answered, lying through my teeth. I couldn't tell her anything, not really. None of my human friends knew the real me, and they never could. It was too dangerous and I would never place those that I cared about in harms way, at least not intentionally. "Thanks, Angela," I said and forced myself to look up. I smiled slightly at her and then, to give myself an easy way to end the awkward conversation that we were having, I walked to the other side of her room and picked up my bag. I began to shift through it until I found my clothes for the day. I quickly changed in the corner and did my best to avoid glancing in Angela's direction. It got really silent again between us and the air around us filled with tension so thick that a sledge hammer was the only thing that could shatter it, but I didn't know how to break it. Angela wasn't stupid. It was obvious that she could tell that I was keeping things from her, and I could sense that it really bugged her. She probably thought that I was being beat by my mother, just as Jessica had (and most likely still did). This was great. It was truly wonderful to have my friends think that I was in a horrible situation at home. Yeah, about as wonderful as being stuck in a padded room with Aphrodite for three weeks.

I finished tying my shoes, brushed my hair, and then checked the clock mounted on Angela's wall. It was a little bit after eleven. I looked around the room and found that Angela had changed as well. We locked eyes. Sadness and disappointment crossed Angela's as she realized that I wasn't going to open up to her.

"Well, I should be getting home," I mumbled, but my voice was booming from the lack of sound in the room.

"We can give you a ride." Angela offered, trying to act as if everything was OK between us. She was almost convincing, but she couldn't hide everything that she was feeling from me.

"Thanks, but I'd rather walk. It's a nice day out. No point on wasting it." I said.

Angela nodded. "Alright."

I got all my stuff around and started for Angela's closed door.

"You know that that I'm always here for you, Bella. Talk to me whenever you need an ear to listen to you," Angela told me as I opened the door.

"I will," I lied again. The guilt that I felt stabbed at my stomach painfully, but I ignored it to the best of my abilities. "Bye, Angela. See you tomorrow." I gave her a little wave and then left her room as swiftly as my legs would carry me. I raced from her house and down the street, not really paying attention to where I was going. I was lost in deep thought. A lot had just happened in a short amount of time and it was difficult for me to sort it all out. I wasn't used to this, but wasn't it all that I had secretly asked the Fates for? Hadn't I wanted to be like every other human teenage girl out there? Wasn't this one of the things that I craved most with a deep passion? Why was I complaining? My life was finally going the way that I wanted it to for once, and yet I was completely unhappy.

What do I do? I asked silently. My little voice didn't answer me. It stayed quiet as I marched along the sidewalk. I was all alone. No one was going to help me out with this dilemma. I would have to get through it by myself. Gr…This wasn't fair, and I really wanted to sit down on the street and whine like a small child until my throat was hoarse. But where would that get me? Nowhere. I would have to handle this like the adult I often believed that I was. Great. What else was going to get thrown at me, because I doubted that the Fates were through with me?

I reached my house and trudged up the front steps. The weight of everything was balancing heavily on my shoulders and all I wanted to do was go back to bed under my comforting covers. I really needed a nap. Maybe some answer would come to me while I slept. I pushed my way inside and dropped all my junk onto the hardwood floor of the hallway. I started for the stairs that weren't more than ten feet away from where I stood. I bypassed the doorway that led to the living room, and didn't see the evil that was waiting in on the couch like an alligator waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting antelope by the swampy shore. But, sadly, it sure saw me, and couldn't resist calling out to me.

"Well, looked what finally hauled its unwanted ass home," a voice that chilled me down to the very marrow of my bones said in an irritated tone. I stopped dead in my tracks and spun on my heel to face the bitch from Hades, though I knew that it would be in my best interest to just walk on by like she wasn't even there. "Did you miss me?"

"Like a giant thorn in my side," I snapped from my place inside of the doorway. No way was I going to travel in any farther. I was not going to give her the chance to attack me if things between us turned very sour. "Now leave me alone, Persephone," I growled at the horrible being, not really in the mood for her attitude at the moment.

"Ah, poor little orphan has forgotten her manners," Persephone mockingly cooed at me. I controlled my growing anger by clenching my fists tightly. It hurt, but at least it reminded me that it would be a bad idea if I did anything to provoke her. Full god versus not full god. I would have no chance against her. "Do I need to brand them into you?" She offered with a glint in her eye that was all but sweet.

"You touch me and I will kick your ass," I warned. The threat just made Persephone laugh harshly. I bit on my lip to keep from screaming at her. All the force that I was exerting to keep myself in check was starting to give me a killer headache. Why the hell did she have to show up now? This was terrible timing. Couldn't she have popped in at some other time? Damn you, Fates. Damn you!

"You know it's really cute to see you try and be all big and tough?" Persephone said as she crossed her legs.

"Drop dead, you worthless piece of flesh," I mumbled just loud enough so that she could hear me.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Persephone said with underlying venom that was supposed to scare me. "You aren't important yet to the fabric of life. It would be easy to dispose of you. Especially since no one loves you."

"You're a very big person to pick on a teenager, you know that?" I told her, not frightened by her words. There was nothing that she could do to me. Demeter wouldn't allow it, for though she loved her daughter more than anything in the world; I was the one that she would die protecting if it ever came down to it. And that little fact was what made Persephone so jealous of me that she could hardly breathe at times. "You have major balls. I'm shaking in my shoes, I really am. Don't let my sarcastic tone fool you."

"I could squash you like a bug, so watch what you say you little brat!" Persephone almost roared. "I wouldn't piss me off if I were you."

"How could a woman that was stupid enough to get kidnapped by her pedophilic uncle possibly do me any harm?" I asked as innocently as I could. Persephone's gaze went from annoyed to scorching in a blink of an eye.

"Why you---"

"Bella, are you finally home?" I heard Demeter ask as she came into the room. "Oh, I see that---"

"Your Devil's spawn is here," I finished for her, though I knew that probably wasn't what she was going to say. Demeter gave me a warning raise of her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes. "I don't have time for this. I'm really tired and need a shower." I said, starting to move out of the doorway. I didn't want to hang around any longer. I sensed that things would go from hostile to bloody if I stayed.

"But I think you should…" Demeter began, but I was gone before she finished her sentence. My headache was pounding heavily against my temples and I still needed to come up with a good answer for Jessica. I had no time to hear Demeter beg Persephone and me to get along. We all knew that it would never happen, so why waste the energy? The two of us were sworn enemies. Nothing would change that. Nothing.


	26. Last Straw

**Gr...I wish I had more time to update. I feel so bad, but with summer coming I swear to put up a ton of more chapters. Thank you guys so much for being patient. It means a lot to me, and I hope that you like Chapter 26. R & R. Pretty pwease!!!!!!!**

I'm not exactly sure how my fork flew from my hand to a spot just a foot away from Persephone's head so quickly, but there it now stuck in the wall and Persephone sat glaring; looking like she was about read to bite titanium nails in half with her perfectly white teeth. I can't say that I felt bad for what I had done. No, I was bubbling inside with a childlike happiness that was usually only felt by humans on Christmas morning. I only had one regret. And that was that my aim had been a tad bit off.

"What the fucking hell?!" Persephone roared from her seat directly across from me. We were all at the dinning room table trying to have a civil dinner. Ha! That was a joke. Persephone and I have known each other for close to two thousand years and not once have we been civil to one another. It just wasn't going to happen. I hated the very air she breathed, and she would love the chance to fry me alive. Not necessarily the best foundation for a civil relationship.

"Maybe that'll teach you not to talk shit about me," I said to the fuming cow-like thing that called itself a goddess before me.

"Bella!" Demeter cried, sounding both pissed off and on the verge of tears. "Tell Persephone that you're sorry."

"But I'm not," I replied. "She's been asking for it all night. You better be glad I didn't chuck my chair at her trampy-ass head."

"You unwanted, slutty cunt." Persephone spit as she forcibly shoved the table into my stomach. Her act caught me off guard. I doubled over in pain and fall out of my seat. I hit the floor with a thud, which caused Persephone to cackle like the wicked witch that she was.

"Bella, are you OK?" Demeter asked from beside me. She had gotten up to check on me. I nodded and then rolled over so that I was on my back. I jumped to my feet; my stomach feeling like someone had fired a cannon ball directly at it. "You should go lay down," Demeter told me. "Leave Persephone alone."

"No," I whispered because the pain in my gut was so intense that it was difficult for me to talk any louder. "That bitch needs to be taught a lesson."

"Bring it on," Persephone challenged. She was now standing in a defensive position on the other side of the room. "Though it's not like you're going to get any shots in, you repulsive orphan."

"Wanna bet?" I mumbled darkly. I didn't wait for her to answer. In a flash I was at the other side of the dinning room, pounding with all my might on Persephone like there was no tomorrow. I got a few good shots in, and even felt some thick blood flow as my fist connected with her bottom lip and busted it wide open. Persephone screamed with a deep rage that was all but human, and shoved me roughly up against the wall. She held me with her left hand and slugged me in the face with her right. For a moment I had no clue what to do. It seemed like she was going to win this fight, but then a sudden, if not wimp-like, idea hit me. I brought my leg back and swung at her shin. My foot made contact with its target just as I hoped it would, and Persephone shrieked out a howl before dropping me.

I started to go down like a sack of potatoes, but then I caught myself so that I was standing upright. I waited to see what Persephone's next move would be. She was slightly turned away from me, and it looked as if she was going to walk away and leave me alone. But then her body began to glow a faint blue and grow hazy. I realized in less than a heartbeat that she was preparing to take on her true, godly form. I gulped. If she did that I wouldn't stand a chance against her, and I might actually die if she attacked me with all her full power. I was too attached to my life to let that happen, so I charged at her; hoping that by running into Persephone I would stun her just long enough to stop her from morphing.

I came at her with the force of a stampede and just as I was about to slam into her a fierce white light blinded me and I was thrown backwards onto my butt. I landed, once again, on the floor, hard. Oh this was starting to get really annoying, and, plus, I was in ten times more pain than before all this. I could even swear that something in my body was fractured. Damn it.

"There," Demeter growled. I sat up, the pain increasing even more (if that was possible), and saw that Persephone was also lying on the dinning room floor. She hadn't taken on her true form, something to which I was very thankful for. Demeter was standing between the two of us, and it didn't take me long to figure out that she had been the one to create the light and had been the one to push us on our butts. "Now you both need to cool down."

"Screw this!" I barked as I slowly stood up. "I'm not going to take this anymore." And with that I limped from the room and into the hall. Demeter, and Persephone's snickering, weren't too far behind me. I did my best to avoid both of them.

"Bella, please wait!" Demeter called to me. "We have to talk."

"No," I said, stopping because the aches of my body were making it difficult for me to move as I wanted to. I felt as if I had been sat on by five sumo wrestlers. Really big sumo wrestlers. I faced my guardian with a hard look in my eyes. "There's nothing to talk about. I despise that bitch and she hates me. If we remain in the same house together we'll end up killing one another. Can't you see that?"

"I…you…yes," Demeter admitted. "But what can I do? I don't want to send Persephone away. This is the only time I have to spend with her. I won't give that up."

I shouldn't have been hurt by her words. I've known ever since I was very little that Persephone held a bigger place in Demeter's heart than I could ever hope to have, but for some odd reason her wanting Persephone to stay stabbed into my soul like a double-edged sword tinted with vampire venom. Maybe it affected me because Demeter had just reminded me that I had no mother to ever feel that unconditional love towards me. I was all alone in this universe. Alone and unwanted by the very person that should have wanted me in their life so badly that it hurt. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back. I was not going to cry. I couldn't cry because that would give Persephone a power over me that I couldn't afford her to gain. I would be at her mercy for the rest of time, and I wouldn't allow that asshole to hold that over my head.

"Fine," I slightly sniffed. "Then I'll be the one to leave."

"Where will you go?" Demeter asked.

"I've had an offer for the summer," I said, and that was the truth. School had let out less than a week ago and on the last day Edward had asked me if I wanted to spend the summer with him up at his parents' cabin on Lake Crescent. I had told him then that there was no way that my mother, Demeter, would give me the permission to be with him all by myself for the entire summer, but now, after the intense events that had taken place, I could really care less what Demeter thought. I couldn't spend another day with Persephone. For the past month she had been driving me insane and I was through with it. Everything tonight had broken the final straw of tolerance that I had for Persephone.

"What do you mean?" Demeter quizzed with a raise of her eyebrows, clearly not liking where this was heading.

"Edward asked if I could stay the summer with him at his 'parents'' cabin, and I'm going to."

"The nymph from your class?" Demeter looked slightly mortified by the thought. "You want to spend the summer with him?"

"Not want. I'm going to do it," I repeated, no hint of compromise in my voice. This was happening whether she approved of it or not.

Demeter shook her head. "You can't, Bella. What about Aro and the Volturi?"

"He's going to get me whether I'm with you or one of my friends," I said, at the moment Aro being the least of my worries.

"But I can protect you," Demeter protested loudly. "That nymph wouldn't stand a chance against a vampire. You can't go, Bella. You just can't."

"I'm going to be seventeen in September. That's not too far away. And when that happens you'll have to go back to Mount Olympus. Zeus is going to force you back there; you know that. You can't watch over me forever, Demeter. Why not distance yourself from me now? At least you'll get used to me not being around." I offered, trying to make her see that this wasn't such a big deal. That it was actually a good thing in the long run. "And if I go then you and Persephone can have all the quality time together that I know she desperately wants from you."

"But…Bella…" Demeter trailed off. "This is all my—"

"I don't blame you for this, Demeter," I told her, cutting her off. "Persephone and I were just never meant to be friends, let alone get along. The Fates don't have it in their cards. You can't deny that fact."

"I know," Demeter whispered sadly. "I guess…you're right." She sighed deeply and her shoulders sagged. "When will you be going?"

"I'm gonna call Edward right now," I said, happy. And just a tad bit disappointed. Maybe some part of me had wished that Demeter would have put up more of a fight, though I knew that the rest of me was dead set against me staying in this house a second longer. Demeter at that moment was really showing me what mattered in her life, and apparently I wasn't on the top of her list. Ah well. Had I really expected anything more? I was just some distant family member of hers, after all. It wasn't like she was closely related to me.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket as Demeter left the hall and went back into the dinning room. I checked my phone over real quickly. Surprisingly it had survived the brutal fight between Persephone and me. I flipped it open and dialed Edward's number as fast as my bruised fingers could move. It rang twice, and then to my relief, Edward answered on the third ring.

"Hello, Bella?" His soothing voice hit my ears. "What's up?"

"Are you still planning on going up to your parents' cabin?" I asked, not taking the time to beat around the bush.

"Yeah. Why?"

"When?" I fired at him, ignoring his question.

"Sometime this coming week. Why?" Edward repeated.

"Could you leave tomorrow?"

"Sure, if I really wanted. Bella, what is this all leading up to?"

"I'll be ready in the morning," I told Edward. That would give me time to cover up any bruises and other marks that Persephone had left on me. I didn't want him to see the horrible state that I was in right now. How would I explain it to him without sounding like an immature five-year-old or an abused teenager?

"You can come?" Edward sounded thrilled. I smiled slightly at that. At least someone wanted me around. Someone cared about me. He wasn't a family member that I know of, but my closest friend was a million times better than nothing.

"Yeah, my…mom just said that I could. I sort of nagged her till she agreed." That was a lie, but Edward didn't need to know the truth. All that mattered was that I was getting away from Persephone and the hell that she put me through just because she could.

"Yes!" Edward cheered into the phone. "I'll be by around eight. Is that a good time?"

"It's perfect," I replied, holding back a small laugh. I knew that it would hurt horribly if I let it out. "I'll see you then."

"OK. Bye, Bella!" And with that our conversation ended. I placed my phone back in my pocket, turned back toward the stairs, and began my long trek up them. As I went I couldn't help but feel that this decision was one that was very important. It was a turning point in my life, but why? What could this all lead to? What did the tricky Fates have in store for me? And did I really want to know?


	27. Realizing Emotions

**Hey people! Yeah, I know it's been almost a month. But school and my regents are finally over, and now I have the entire summer to write. Yay!!! Well, here's chapter 27. I hope you all like it. I had fun writing it. R&R. Please!**

"Here we are," Edward smiled as we pulled up in front of a spacious, yet beautiful cabin surrounded by a forest on either side. He turned off his Volvo and swung his key ring around his index finger with some prideful satisfaction. I ignored him and turned so that I could stare at the summer cabin, our home for the next two months, give or take a few days. I couldn't help but be giddy as I looked the place over. I was finally away from that tyrant sent directly from Hell to torture me. She was more than a three hour drive away. I was free. For once in my two thousand years of living I was not going to have to spend a dreadful summer with her. The Fates had taken pity on me and had granted me a moment of undisturbed pleasure.

"Nice," I commented with pure excitement radiating in my voice. It was really rare for me to be this blissful. Usually I was blah.

"Oh, it's nothing." Edward waved my compliment away with a quick swipe of his hand. "I'm just glad that your mom let you come. I would be so lonely here without you, Bella."

"You'd find a way to amuse yourself," I said as I avoided looking at him by dropping my gaze to my sandaled feet. If I met his eyes I knew that I would blush, and I didn't want to embarrass myself. A month ago Edward saying something like that wouldn't have had any effect on me, but after that little morning chat with Jessica the day after Prom things had changed. I noticed that I felt differently about Edward. That night after I discovered that Persephone was staying for the summer I had spent hours examining my true feelings, and had come to the conclusion that Jessica had been right all along. I hadn't told her that at school the next day, but I think she saw it in my expression because she didn't press the issue like she had sworn she would at Angela's. Now I was left with some difficult questions. The most important being, was I falling in love with Edward?

I couldn't come up with a simple, easy answer to that, but it had to be something along those lines. Once in a blue moon I would sneak a peak at him and see how incredibly…well he was almost perfect, both in personality and looks, and then I would realize that my heart was pounding a bit faster than before and my blood was starting to boil with a longing that I thought once lost. I found it amazing to be that attracted to someone, but…every time that happened I would get somewhat mad at myself. Hadn't I spent all the time that Edward and I had been friends denying to everyone, even myself, that there was nothing between the two of us. That I didn't want us to be anything more than friends. Could I go and change that all now? What if Edward didn't want me like I was starting to want him? Was it too late for my feelings to become a reality? "You're not the type of person to be bored and lonely for too long."

"I guess," Edward shrugged with indifference.

"No you are," I insisted with a small yawn and a quick stretch of my back. "Well we should start getting the suitcases inside before it gets dark." Alright there were was almost nine hours before the sun would begin to set and me saying that made no sense, but the Volvo was getting a little too cramped for my taste. I had to get out before I said something that would humiliate me more than blushing ever could.

I opened my door and stepped out. The fresh scent of pine and seclusion hit my nose and I breathed it in deeply. Washington and its forests were beautiful, and I let the soothing sensation that it gave wash over and relax me. I stood like that for a few moments, just basking in nature. Then I sighed contentedly and moved toward the back of the Volvo so that I could get our stuff out of the backseat. There was more in the trunk, but I would wait to drag that in until later.

I reached for the door's sleek handle, but a cool hand gently gripped my wrist; making me stop.

"That can wait," Edward told me. I raised an eyebrow. What had I just heard in his tone? Why did he sound breathless? Could I be imagining it? "I want to show you something."

"OK," I said in almost a whisper. I didn't mean it to come out like that, but Edward's hand was sending tiny, electrifying jolts up my arm and I didn't know how to deal with it. Almost eighty years of not finding anyone attractive and being single had left me rusty. How was I going to keep my cool? Maybe deciding to hang with Edward for the entire summer hadn't been such a great idea after all (well minus that by being with him I wasn't with Persephone). It was going to take all that I had not to make a fool of myself, and I couldn't rely much on that. I was doomed.

"Great." Edward flashed another bright smile, intertwined his fingers with mine, and began to lead me towards the forest. For a few seconds I didn't pay any attention to what direction Edward was taking me in, and I also forgot that my body was still aching from the fight between Persephone and me last night. All I could think about was that fact mine and Edward's hands were laced together. His fingers felt like smooth marble, but it was a marble that I wouldn't mind holding onto for an eternity. It was right, just like when we had danced at Prom. We fit together, no denying it.

Could I really be falling head over heels in love? This was all new to me. Sure I had cared deeply about my last boyfriend, and we were even better friends than Edward and I, but never had I felt like this when he had held my hand. My heart hadn't been ready to jump out of my chest at the mere thought of us being close, and I hadn't been dizzy when he had spoken to me. Everything was different with Edward. It was one of those special things that happened once in a lifetime, and I was saddened to think that there was a possibility that Edward didn't care about me as intently as I did him.

As we made our way through the woods, the two of us were completely quiet but everything around us was alive and vibrant. I could hear animals scurrying here and there, doing whatever it is that they did on an early Saturday afternoon. The sun shown down through the treetops; lighting anything in its path with a golden glow that made the whole area truly breathtaking. It was so peaceful that I had a deep and sudden urge to lie down on the grass and spend the next few months doing nothing.

"Almost there," Edward said after about ten minutes of silence.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, gazing around. Endless trees and green were the only things that I could see. Nothing out of the ordinary struck my fancy. Hopefully Edward wasn't taking me to see some weirdly shaped rock (that was something that he would do, too), though if he continued to hold my hand I wouldn't mind it so much.

"It's a surprise," Edward teased with an imp-like grin on his handsome lips. I knocked into him with my shoulder.

"Not fair."

"You'll love it," Edward promised, pushing me back. He picked up the pace and in few more minutes the density of the trees lessened, and soon they came to a rapid end. I looked around. Edward and I were in a clearing that had short grass, lovely meadow flowers in all sorts of colors, and a paved path not too far away from where we were standing. On the other side of the clearing was another forest, or possibly the same one, with box-like things that I could only assume were other cabins and houses. Why did they seem to be so far away? That wasn't right, was it?

"Where are we?" I quizzed with insane curiosity.

Edward didn't answer. He just gave me a wicked smirk and then, to my utter surprise, broke out into a run. My hand was still tightly in his and I was jerked forward along with him. We dashed down the concrete path at a speed that wasn't too bad. I didn't feel like I was about to pass out from loss of oxygen, though my breathing was labored. But why were we running? What was the purpose in it? And where did the paved path go to?

After running for a minute I felt that I was about to start laughing because I thought that Edward was just being silly, but then I saw something that was a bluish green and glittery in front of us and I abruptly realized why those other cabins and houses appeared to be very distant. They were on the opposite side of Lake Crescent, and Edward was running us right toward the water's edge.

"No!" I shouted, trying to drive my feet into the ground. That did nothing but make me stumble, and I had to catch myself before I fell forward onto the ground. "No. No. NO!" I was yelling loud enough for Edward to hear me, but he wasn't paying me any mind. He ran even faster and we reached the lake before I had the time to release my hand from Edward's. He jumped, pulling me with him, and we both landed in the chilly water; causing two huge splashes to explode where we landed.

"I should kill you!" I barked as soon as my head broke the surface of the lake. I pushed my wet hair out of my face and gazed around until I found Edward. I locked my fierce gaze on him, but all he did was chuckle; not phased in the slightest by my anger.

"Come on, Bella. You have to admit that was fun."

"No, it was—ow!" I hissed as a pain shot up my side. It was that bruised rib that I had (at least I hoped it was a bruised rib. I was in no mood to be rushed to the hospital because of a broken one). The impact of me hitting the water must have upset it, and now I was paying the price for Edward's 'fun'.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked, his joking manner gone in an instant. He swam over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I shook my head at his concern.

"Nothing," I lied with gritted teeth. "I'll be...What?" Edward was staring at me with such an odd look in his eyes. My rib wasn't that bad. Really. I was going to live. Why was he gazing at me like that? It was a bit unnerving.

"You have nothing to worry about," I said with an edge to try to prove that my side was perfectly alright. "I'm fine. It was just a little—"

"What happened to you?" Edward questioned as he lifted his hand to gingerly place his finger tips on my left cheek bone. Though he barely grazed the area I winced in pain. That was where Persephone had punched me repeatedly last night, and the makeup that I had put on this morning must have washed off with the lake water. Damn it! I didn't want Edward to see the bruises and be concerned about it. There was no way that I could explain it without spilling my secret. It was harder for me to lie to Edward than it was for everyone else, and he wouldn't stop harking me about it if he knew I was keeping something from him. "Who did this to you?" He sounded pissed (a rarity coming from a guy that adored playing hide and seek), as if he would hunt that person down the moment I spoke their name.

"No one important," I said, moving so that he was no longer touching me. "It's OK, Edward. That person won't be bothering me anymore. What's done is done. Let's just put it in the past."

"That's why you called and wanted to come here with me," Edward said. No question in his words.

"One of the reasons, yes," I replied. No point in lying. He had already guessed right. "Though not the only one. But let's move on and forget that anything happened, alright?"

Edward didn't say anything.

"Alright?" I repeated with more force.

Out of nowhere Edward wrapped me in his arms and pulled me into a tight hug. He squeezed me as if he was afraid that if he let me go the world was going to come crashing down upon me just for spite. I was too stunned to yell at him for overreacting.

"I won't let anyone harm you like that again. I swear on my life!" Edward declared, his voice echoing all around the two of us. It was booming and not what I was used to. I began to feel bad about working him up like this. I should have remembered about my makeup and tried harder to stop from going into the water. This was all my fault for being stupid and too wrapped up in my confusing feelings to think straight. Damn me.

"You can't," I mumbled, my voice suddenly coming to me, into Edward's soaked t-shirt. "Things might occur that are out of your control. Promises like that are always broken."

"Well mine won't be," Edward said in a defying way. I sighed.

"Not if…certain things, beings, have it their way," I whispered, talking about the Fates and other crummy gods that loved to ruin people's joy just for the fun of it.

"I won't let them." The words were so hushed that I thought that I might have imagined them, but then Edward pulled away from me and I saw that his jaw was set and he was determined. He knew exactly who I was talking about and looked ready to fight them to the death if that meant keeping me safe. I should have been doing jumping jacks and singing at the top of my lungs, but instead I wanted to do the opposite. The Fates would find a way to challenge him, they always did when someone was foolish enough to say what Edward just had out loud, and it was going to end horribly. Though maybe, my little hopeful side pleaded, maybe the Fates had been busy messing with someone else that they hadn't been listening to Edward. Please…Because the last thing that I wanted them to be was pissed off and harm him...or me.


	28. Intense Hike

**I never intended on it taking so long to get this chapter up, but I've been pretty busy. I got a job!!! It's my first. I'm only working at McDonald's, but it's still money. Yay! Lol. I hope none of you loyal fans minded too much. This is a really good chapter, if I do say so myself, and I know you'll really enjoy it. Please don't forget to review. How long's it take to review? Twenty seconds? If that? So please, can you give me twenty seconds and review? Please!**

I finished buttoning up the last button on my faded blue jeans and then, with the skill that could only derive from hundreds of years of practice, piled my hair fluidly into a messy lump on top of my head and wrapped it tightly with my damp towel. I briefly checked over my clean reflection in the mirror; making sure that no stray hairs were falling out. After that, I opened the bathroom door and walked out with a cloud of steam left over from my shower following behind me like a lost puppy in a sinister back alleyway. I made my way to the staircase and stomped down the wooden steps; attempting to be as obnoxious and loud as possible to get the desired attention that I was looking for.

In the living room Edward was playing a game of checkers by himself. He turned around and stared at me with a curious glint in his eye. My plan was a success.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

I sighed heavily (it was all an act to gain his sympathy) as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm so bored," I moaned theatrically as if the weight of my boredom was almost too much for me to bear.

"Want to join in?" Edward offered as he pointed to his half finished game on the coffee table in front of him. I shook my head as I made my way into the room. I took a seat next to him on the fluffy, midnight blue colored couch and propped my slightly wrinkled feet up onto the table with the black and red game board. "Then what do you want to do?" Edward quizzed after I was comfortable. "I have Sorry, if that's more of what you have in mind."

"We've been playing kid games every day for the past two weeks," I said with a hint of annoyance to my voice.

"So?" Edward shrugged.

"Soo…Can't we go outside?" I whined. "I want to explore a little. I hate being cooped up inside like I'm some misbehaved and wild animal."

"Bella…" Edward trailed off in a way that got under my skin and started to piss me off. He sounded like he was talking to a young child that was slightly slow in the head. "You can't do anything too strenuous at the moment. You have to get better. I don't want you seriously hurt. I would feel terrible if that happened."

"I'm fine," I grumbled darkly. "How many times do I have to tell you that my side isn't in pain any more? Hitting the water like I did must have upset it, and now that I've been on house arrest for so long I think it has cured anything that our little 'swim' might have done to it. I swear to you. I'm fine," I repeated.

"We can't risk your safety," Edward disagreed with a final note in his voice. He didn't want to discuss the matter any further, but I was not going to allow him to boss me around anymore. Today was the day that I put my foot down. I was leaving this cabin. Sure it was nice and had a really cozy feeling to it, but after days on end of staring at the same exact thing and _doing_ the same exact thing, it was starting to feel like a prison. And I needed to escape before I lost every shred of sanity that I possessed.

"You are not my father!" I cried, glaring at him with enough force to light a tree on fire. "So stop trying to act like it. I am NOT going to be spending the day in here, and, to be honest, I don't want to be outside by myself. I came here to be with _you_, Edward, but if you're going to treat me like I'm some dumb nine-year-old that has half a brain, then fine! I'll find something to do by myself and have fun without you." And with that I jumped up from my seat in a flash of heated anger. The sudden, jerky movement caused my towel to come loose, and it tumbled down my back and landed with a soggy thud on the hardwood floor at my feet. I ignored it and went to take a step to leave, but Edward grabbed a hold of my hand and pulled me downward so that I was practically sitting in his lap.

"Alright, you win. I give up," he breathed quietly into my ear. I gazed up into his chiseled face and momentarily couldn't think as my fury towards him melted away in a quick rush. All I could do was sit there and listen to my heart race loudly in my chest. Edward smirked as if he could hear its fast thumping and thought my reaction to being this close to him amusing. "How do _you _want to spend the day?"

"I-I…" I paused for a moment to clear the fuzziness from my mind in order to not sound like a babbling dork. That seemed to be happening more and more lately whenever I was around Edward. And it even got worse when we were really close to one another, like right now. It was my stupid and incredible hormones. Grr. I was weak when it came to them, when it came to Edward. "I was thinking about going for a…a hike. That OK?" I got out, my voice wavering a little.

"Perfect," Edward smiled. It was simple and friendly, but set my heart reeling again. I had to move before I said or did something that I'd regret later. This situation was becoming unbearable.

"I th-thought so," I said, getting up without trying to look rude. I stood so that I was behind the coffee table, on the other side away from where Edward sat. "I guess I'll…I'll go get ready."

"And I'll make us something quick to bring for lunch," Edward suggested with a small grin still playing at his lips. It didn't seem like I had offended him by moving, which was good. I didn't want him mad at me. I would take staying in the cabin over that any day.

Edward stood up gracefully from his spot and began to take care of the game that he had been playing. "We can eat in a little place that I know of that's truly breathtaking," he said as he walked over to place the game back in the short cabinet by the TV.

"You aren't going to pull me into another body of water, are you?" I asked in a joking tone. I was attempting to work past my girly urges towards him with humor. It kind of worked. My heartbeat was beginning to go back to its normal pace, and my mind wasn't focused on how amazing Edward looked at the moment. Though some of that might have to do with the fact that Edward had his back towards me, not that it wasn't as remarkable as the front, but it did make it slightly easier. Only slightly, though.

"Maybe some other time," Edward joked back with a warm laugh as he turned to face me. "But not today."

"Good," I nodded, avoiding his eyes. I had to calm down, or how else was I going to survive the hike with Edward. And the best way for me to do that was by not looking at him. "I'll be back down in a few minutes," I told him as I hurried to pick up my towel, and then scampered out of the living room. I flew back up the stairs and to my room that was on the left side of the bathroom (Edward's was on the right). As soon as I got in I threw my towel into the pile of dirty clothes that I had in the corner and began to search for a light sweater (it seemed to be a bit chilly out) and my worn, yet perfectly-good-for-hiking shoes. It was easy for me to get a sweater out of the desk in my room, but the shoes, on the other hand, weren't as easy to get. I combed through my entire room for them for ten minutes and ended up finding the shoes in a paper bag under my bed. I pondered why I had put them in the bag as I slipped them onto my feet and tied the laces into double knots. No answer came to me while I pulled the pale purple sweater over my head and quickly ran a brush through my damp hair.

After I was sure that I was dressed alright enough for a hike, I went back down the steps, completely forgetting about my shoes, and nearly ran into Edward as he came out of the kitchen with a medium-sized cooler slung over his shoulder.

"Sorry," I muttered as we stood facing one another in the wide hallway.

"No problem," Edward told me. "All set?"

"Yup," I nodded.

"OK. Let's go," Edward said, indicating with his arm for me to go first. _Just like at Jessica's party_. I raised an eyebrow as the random popped into my head, but, even though it was out of the blue, it was true. He'd done the same exact thing; although this time I wasn't annoyed with the gesture and didn't think he was being an annoying showoff. Now I found it sort of cute, if not still cheesy.

"OK," I agreed, and the two of us started for the front door, side by side; almost touching but no dice. When we reached the end of the hall I opened the door, and stepped out onto the wraparound porch. The late-morning rays of sunshine, thankfully not seen from my bedroom window today, hit my eyes with a harsh intensity. I squinted until they adjusted fully, and then moved off of the porch so that I was on the luscious, green front lawn. Edward was right behind me. I turned towards him.

"Where to?" I asked, glancing quickly around.

"This way," Edward said as an answer and began to walk kitty-corner across the yard. I met his relaxed stride, we weren't in any big hurry, and in a matter of no time the two of us reached the forest's edge. Unlike the last time we had taken a stroll through the woods, Edward and I talked and we talked a lot. Our voices carried through the trees, sounding chipper and completely at ease. Not for a moment was there an agonizing silence between us, and I believe that was due to the fact that my mind wasn't buzzing with my growing affections for Edward (well they were there, but pushed to the back and vaguely dormant). I really can't remember the majority of what we talked about. It could have been on the holes in buttons for all I cared, but it was a lot of fun to be with him and not have the prying eyes of others watching our every move. We couldn't have spent time like this in Forks without everyone gossiping about it and assuming what was going on between the two of us.

The path that Edward led me on was slightly overgrown with short bushes and a ton of pine needles littered the ground underneath our feet. I could tell that no one had been on it in months, if not a year or so, but it wasn't that bad. Manageable, though every once in a while a twig would snag a hold of my shoelace and try to trip me. Good thing I wasn't a major klutz and had a pretty fine sense of balance, or I'd have been seriously injured by now and Edward would have me locked back up in that cabin for the rest of the summer. Yeah, no way was that going to happen. I was free and I was going to stay like that.

Everything was going alright. We were having a blast and the walk wasn't too laborious. I was enjoying myself. At least I was until we came upon a large fallen log in the middle of the path. It blocked our way. I looked for a possible route around the decaying thing, but couldn't find one.

"Crap," I muttered bitterly. It seemed like the tree was going to be the end to our exciting day in the wilderness. "What do we do now?"

"How 'bout I climb up the tree, and then help you?" Edward suggested, already looking for good-sized pieces of the tree that stuck out that he could grab on to with his hands and that would allow the easiest climbing direction. "Sound good?" he asked as he started to climb.

"Sure," I agreed as I watched him scramble up the side of the dead tree like a graceful predator cat stalking its prey. His body moved with a liquid fluidity that made me sigh with admiration. He was incredible to watch, and looked better than any person scaling a tree had a right to.

In no time at all Edward was standing on the top. He grinned down at me with his gorgeous smile. "Come on, Bella," he called to me. "It's not too hard, and you don't have to worry. I won't let you fall."

"I trust you," I yelled back to him, knowing that I was perfectly safe with Edward. No harm could be done to me with him around. Not if he had any say in the matter.

I began in about the same place that Edward had. I wasn't as nimble as he was, but I made it up the tree without too many complications. When I was almost to the peak Edward bent his knees and put his hand out for me to take a hold of. I did so, the tiny jolts of electricity that sparked through me almost made me lose all sense of where and who I was, and he basically pulled me the rest of the way. We stood for a few moments, hand in hand, on the tree's top. Before us lay the rest of the forest, and I would have found the scene awe-inspiring, but I couldn't focus. The jolts were still creeping up from where mine and Edward's hands were joined, and I was finding it hard, as usual, to concentrate on anything other than him. I wanted nothing more than to have him hold my hand forever, but I really had to separate myself from him, and soon. Who knew what would happen if I didn't? What I would say?

I gently tried to take my hand from his, but Edward squeezed tightly.

"Please can I have my hand back?" I asked, surprised to find that my voice wasn't as breathless as I thought it was going to be. At least it wasn't giving away how I was feeling at the time being.

"I think it would be best if I held it until we were done with our climbing session," Edward answered.

"But I won't be able to climb all that well," I pointed out; once again trying to liberate my hand. The attempt was as fruitless as the first.

"You trust me, don't you?" Edward quizzed, turning his wonderful topaz eyes on me. Things seemed to almost stop as I got lost in them, and in the back of my mind I knew that I must be gaping at him like a dense fool, but I couldn't get my body to work how I wanted it to. I was rooted to my spot and all because of his captivating gaze.

"Don't you?" Edward repeated after a minute (it felt much longer than that, but it couldn't have been). A slight smile played at his lips.

"I-I already said I did," I uttered finally, finding it difficult to get my words out. It sucked that he had such an effect on me and there was nothing that I could do about it. I was powerless, not that it bothered me too much, though. "And I didn't lie," I added.

"OK then," Edward said with a slight nod. "Then we're stuck holding hands for a couple of more minutes. Unless I'm making you uneasy…" his face took on a concerned frown.

Well you sort of are, but it's really nice…really, really nice. "No," I lied. "I'm fine."

"Good," Edward beamed at me. "Let's get off this thing and continue on our walk. We're almost to the spot, by the way."

"Kay," I said, and with that we began the rest of our climb. It took us longer to descend the other side of the tree, but we got to the bottom safely. "I can have this now?" I quizzed in a low tone; pointing with my index finger on my free hand at my other hand encased in his cold, stone one.

"If you want," Edward said, though he didn't make to drop mine. "But, to be honest, Bella, I…I don't want to let go."

"Oh," I responded. For the second time in the past hour or so my heart was racing a hundred miles a minute. "Well we…we don't have to," I tried to say in a causal way. It didn't come out like that, but Edward didn't seem to take notice. "I don't…it's nice," I told blurted out, silently cursing my lips for betraying my thoughts.

"Nice," Edward agreed; looking for just a half a moment surprised that he had said that, but in a flash he recovered. "We should get going," he said.

"Yeah," I hazily nodded.

So we began to trek once more through the forest. A silence fell between us. I focused on getting my heart beat back to normal (once more), though it wasn't easy do to our hand holding. I couldn't get it to what it had been before the fallen tree by the time we reached a wide clearing in the middle of the trees. Edward stopped.

"Here we are," he called happily.

"Beautiful," I breathed, and it was. The short grass was a pretty mountain green color with buttercups and daisies scattered about in tiny clumps. The surrounding trees were healthy and cast moderate shadows on the ground before them, making it seem cozy and inviting, and just the right sort of breeze was blowing past. It was a perfect setting for a picnic lunch, and…more intimate than I could have ever imagined.

"No lake," Edward joked as he led me across the clearing. We reached a place that seemed to spark Edward's interest, and he dropped my hand. He unzipped the cooler that he had on him. Edward pulled out a checkered blanket, one that looked a little too big to have fit in that cooler along with our food, and I watched as he spread it out on the grass.

"Thankfully," I said after he was done. "Or I certainly would be booking it out of here."

"We can't have that," Edward chuckled, and then pointed to the blanket. "Sit," he ordered in calm pitch, and I did so. He sat right next to me. When we were comfortable Edward unloaded what was left in the cooler: two sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, two blue Guzzlers, a bag of regular potato chips, and a few Milky Way bars. He handed me a sandwich and Guzzler. "They're turkey if you don't mind," Edward told me.

"Not at all," I replied, ripping off the plastic wrap and biting into the sandwich with relish. Surprisingly I was pretty hungry, even with the big breakfast that I had eaten this morning. Edward opened his and we sat eating our meal.

I finished the sandwich, and downed half the Guzzler in a couple of seconds. Then I moved on to the chips. I offered some to Edward, but he declined. Apparently he wasn't in the mood for food. He had barely nibbled on his sandwich, though over the past few months I had come to realize that Edward wasn't really big on eating, at least not around me or anyone else. I didn't know if nymphs had a problem with human food. Maybe they were like gods and once they reached maturity they didn't need the nourishment any more, and moved on to something along the lines of the _ambrosia_ and _nectar_ that the gods indulged in. If so, I felt sort of bad that he had to pretend to eat human food for my benefit. It couldn't possibly appeal to him, but I couldn't give up my secret. At least not yet. I had to know where we stood before I relinquished that valuable information.

"Bella?" Edward asked suddenly; examining a salty potato chip between his fingers.

"Yeah?" I looked over at him. I'd been watching a grasshopper leap from blade of grass to blade of grass in the silence.

"What did you feel when we were holding hands?" Edward pondered, still seeming to be fascinated with the chip. He wouldn't meet my eyes, which was unlike him.

"Um…well I…" I didn't know what to say. He had caught me off guard. How did I respond to that? Could I tell him the truth? Would it make things weird between us if I did confess? Why did he want to know? Could he possibly—? "What did _you_ feel?" I countered before I could finish the thought. It seemed better to put him on the spot. I really wanted to know what he would say, and if he told me that he didn't feel anything along the lines of what I had then I would tell him the same. What would be the point in confessing my true feelings if he wouldn't return them?

"Could you believe that I was terrified?" Edward asked as he let the chip fall onto the blanket. He finally turned his gaze to me and held it. I couldn't glance away. "But I was also thrilled beyond belief. My mind blurred and you were all that I could think of," he continued, his voice going husky. "You do that a lot to me, you know?"

"I-I do?" I murmured, shocked by his words and how he said them. It honestly wasn't what I had been expecting, though what I had secretly been hoping for.

"A lot," he admitted with a small smile. "You have from that first day in Biology."

"I didn't know," I said as butterflies erupted in the pit of my stomach. They fluttered about wildly, making me wish that I hadn't eaten my sandwich like I had. It would suck if I coughed it up because I was so nervous and excited. What a way to ruin the moment.

"And so… how did you feel?" Edward quizzed. His eyes grew intense as he waited for my answer.

"I…little jolts of electricity pass through me whenever we touch," I whispered, knowing I had to sound like a fawning dupe. I felt a blush coming into my cheeks, and I really wanted to look away from him, but I couldn't. Something in the way that he was staring at me made it impossible to do so.

"Jolts?" Edward raised an eyebrow, but he didn't appear like he was about to break out into a fit of laughter. Instead his gaze intensified even more as he raised a hand to gently tuck a piece of my long brown hair, highlighted a fierce red thanks to how the sun was bouncing off of it, behind my ear. His fingers brushed lightly against my cheekbone as he did so, and, like I had told him, the tiny pangs of electrical energy popped up along the places where he had touched me. "Something like that?"

"Yes," I gulped out.

"You like the jolts?" Edward asked, lightly stroking his finger up and down the side of my face.

"Yes," I said again. It was all that would come out. Anything more than that would be too difficult for my brain to form into words.

"What do you think would happen if we kissed?" Edward wondered wickedly, and leaned towards me.

"Erm…I…" I tried to speak but to no prevail. I was tongue-tied.

"Wanna find out?" he murmured, though didn't wait for me to respond. He cupped my face with both his hands and tenderly pulled me the last few inches that lay between us. Everything paused then as our lips almost touched. My entire body went rigid with anticipation. Edward smiled that smile that always took my breath away, and then pressed his lips slightly to mine. That single contact made the jolts that I had experienced before seem like pathetic little nothings. I moaned a bit from the full force of the sweet, yet dangerously hot energy flowing through my veins, and wanted nothing more than to attack Edward with the passion that I had for him. But before I had the chance to take our kiss any further, or for him to do it, Edward pulled away from me and began searching feverishly around the area for something I couldn't see.

"What?" I coughed out, my voice thick with the emotions that had surfaced from our almost-kiss.

"Nothing," Edward said, but his eyes narrowed into slits. "We should get going. I think it's going to rain soon." He jumped up to his feet.

I took a glance at the sky, but didn't see any sign of possible rain. It was a cobalt blue with a few lazy puff balls hanging around nonchalantly. "What are you talking about?" I quizzed. "I don't see any rain."

"Just—just don't question me, OK, Bella?" Edward roughly pleaded.

"OK," I sighed, wishing that whatever had spooked Edward had waited until after we had kissed. Now who knew when I'd get the chance again? Though I was giddy with the pleasure of knowing that Edward felt the same way about me as I did him. No more guessing. _Thank you, Fates._ I thought as we packed up our stuff and headed back towards the path that would lead us to the cabin. For once they had done something nice for me and it didn't seem to come with any strings attached. They were there, and I knew that, but at for the moment I wasn't going to think of what they could be. Why bring myself down at a time like this? Why?


	29. Old Friend

**Hi! Sorry it's been so long. I have been extremely busy, you know, between work, school, and homework. Man, does it suck, but at least I know that next year will be a piece of cake. Well minus all the applications and junk that I'll have to fill out for college. Anyways, I hope that you all like this chapter. Things are starting to pick up now. It might not be obvious in this chapter, but I promise that they are. Well don't forget to review. And thanks for staying with me this long. It means so much to me. **

"Bye, Bella," Edward murmured through the open window, a surprisingly vast barrier between us at the moment. "Make sure to get the good kind of crackers, too," he reminded me for what had to be the sixth time.

"I will," I replied somewhat angrily, though it had nothing to do with the repeated cracker reminder. I was upset because I didn't want to leave, but the look that had been on Edward's face since yesterday afternoon told me that I shouldn't hang around the cabin. I knew he wanted to go investigate the forest for whatever had distracted him from our special moment together in the field. And I was in no mood to find out what that thing was exactly, especially if it was something horrible. Like, for example, Aro or one of his annoying minions.

"See you," Edward said, bending over the window's edge to give me a quick kiss on the forehead. No, it wasn't anything near the incredible lip locking from the day before (though that had been too brief for my liking), but it still sent wonderful tingles up and down my body, and I really wished that it could go farther. But…Edward's mind wasn't on that, and if I pressed the issue he would more than likely think that I was a clingy freak and withdraw from me, and no way in Hell was I going to jeopardize the possible relationship that I was starting to form with him.

"Yeah," I whispered as he pulled away; losing all my sudden anger towards him. He took a few steps back from the Volvo, and I rolled up the window. I turned the key in the ignition, put the car into drive, and pressed my foot against the gas pedal. The Volvo drove smoothly and easily down the driveway, and I pulled out onto the road that would lead me into the town surrounding Lake Crescent better than the Thunderbird that Demeter had gotten me for school could have done. I reclined back into the posh seat under me and basically let the car do all the driving. It was so easy, and I absolutely loved the feel of the Volvo. The gentle hum of its motor was so alive under the hood that it reminded me of a giant, sleeping puma.

It was a short, but scenic, drive to the town. About fifteen minutes or so. Too soon I reached the tiny lakeshore village, and wasn't all that surprised to find that the streets were hardly crowded with people even though it was the middle of July. It was a horrible day compared to the past few ones. The sky was overcast and strongly threatened rain. I shook my head as I realized that I'd have to stay inside the little shops that littered the main street. I didn't want to be cramped inside of them for the next few hours. I'd get so bored, but what other choice did I have?

"Yay," I hissed under my breath as I pulled up along the sidewalk. A few bypassing people turned to stare at the Volvo. No doubt in my mind that most of them have not seen a car as fancy as the Volvo. The town wasn't a hillbilly haven where everyone married their sister/cousin, but the people certainly weren't rich. More well to do or lower class than anything else. The Volvo was definitely something interesting to the majority of them.

I ignored the stares as I turned off the car. I pocketed the keys in my jeans, opened the door, and stepped out onto the barely busy street. Well wasn't this going to be fun, I thought sarcastically as I made my way over to the sidewalk. I stuck my hands in the pouch of my huge hoodie and started walking; looking in all the windows to see if anything exciting caught my eye. Nothing did as I reached the end of the street (it wasn't a very long one), so I decided to cross and go check out the other shops across the way.

I did the same thing as before and thought that I was going to have no luck and have to force myself into the nearest store, when all of a sudden in a quaint coffee shop towards the end of the street I caught sight of a broad figure sitting all alone at a booth. I stopped in my tracks, something about that broadness struck me as familiar, and gazed intently at the man completely oblivious to the fact that I was checking him out, or at least was pretending to be. He had dark, long hair, deep russet colored skin, and his brown eyes, much older than his outward appearance, were serious but held a slightly mischievous glint, too, that told the world that there was a tiny bad-boy edge to him. Every girl and woman around him was practically drooling over him, but he paid them no mind.

Suddenly those captivating eyes looked up from the menu clasped lightly in his hand, and locked on mine. The moment he registered who I was he smiled brightly, showing two rows of flashing pearls, and waved for me to come and join him. Happily, almost as happy as when Edward held my hand (but on a completely different level), I pulled open the coffee shop's door and flew inside.

"Bella!" the man exclaimed, standing up as I reached his booth. I threw my arms around his tall frame, he was practically seven feet in height, and he lifted me up into a bear hug. A bear hug that was so comforting and memorable that it made me almost want to cry.

"Jacob, I've missed you so much," I told my friend breathlessly, squeezing him as best I could, but it was nothing compared to his shifter embrace. Man, was it good to see him. Good to know that he was safe and healthy.

"Back at ya," Jacob agreed, his voice echoing the slightly emotional pitch of mine (but it's not like I'll see tears in his eyes when I look at his face. Jacob isn't that sentimental, at least not on the outside), as he set me down. He sat back in his seat, and I took the one across from him; noticing the evil glares from the other females in the room. I ignored them.

"What are you doing here?" I asked after a second. I was insanely curious along with tremendously joyful. This was not what I had been expecting coming into the town, but hanging with my best friend was better than what I had had in mind.

"Investigating," Jacob replied, though quite sharply. Obviously he didn't want me to press on, and I was so shocked to see him that I was willing to quiet my curiosity, at least on that subject.

"Well what's happened in the past seventy years?" I moved on; suddenly feeling guilty that I had hardly attempted to talk with him in all that time. Not since we ended up in the same place, much like this town, fifteen years ago had we spoken longer than a few seconds. Most of the time he was too busy and I was moving on from place to place for us to have any time to chat, so I didn't really try. I was a horrible friend. "You still seeing Katlynn, Dionysus' daughter?"

"No, we split years ago. Many years ago," Jacob laughed heartily.

"What happened?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, not getting his humor.

"Her dad caught us in…a compromising position and warned me, after royally kicking my ass, that if I ever came near his precious baby girl again he'd castrate me right where I stood," Jacob said with a wide smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and gently kicked his leg underneath the table. Typical Jacob.

"You dog," I chided him, pun intended, but only halfheartedly. He just shrugged his muscled shoulders at my comment. "So what about your pack? I've missed Seth, Emily, and even Leah and her I'm-too-good-for-this-shit attitude," I said.

"They're fine," Jacob replied, but avoided my gaze.

"What's wrong?" I asked, scared that something horrible had befallen on one of the few people that Jacob considered to be his family. His pack meant every thing to him. They filled the gaping hole in his heart that had been created a long time ago (over two hundred years) when his mother, sister, and father had all been killed in a freak accident that he had learned latter on in life had actually been a vicious vampire attack that he had barely gotten out of alive. He was so lucky that Apollo had a quirky interest in him and didn't want to see his prized shifter die in such a shameful way. Yeah about as lucky as a lame gazelle being chased down by a lion.

"Emily isn't part of my pack any more," Jacob told me, looking terribly upset.

"Why?" That was a surprise. Normally when a shifter pledged their alliance to an alpha they never broke it, and the last time I'd seen Emily she'd seemed so happy to be part of Jacob's pack. What could have changed that?

"Do you remember Sam?" Jacob asked, leaning forward so that the people around us couldn't hear whatever was about to come. This news wasn't going to be good.

"Isn't he the alpha for the other shifter-wolf pack?"

"Was," Jacob corrected me. I opened my mouth to quiz about that, but he held up his hand to stop me and then continued on. "Well, shortly after you and Demeter left Europe for South America because of—yeah, well that doesn't matter at the moment—the most horrible thing happened to Sam."

"You don't mean…" I trailed off, purposely ignoring the topic that he had briefly brought up midsentence. It was a poor memory.

"Yes, the Fates forced him to imprint." Jacob spit the last word out like it was poison on his tongue. I couldn't blame him for his hatred towards imprinting. Imprinting was the only way that alphas could be produced, and an alpha was needed for every shifter pack whether they were wolves or birds. And of course the shifters didn't get to choose who they imprinted on. That decision was all left up to the Fates, and, of course, they were extremely cruel bitches and usually picked someone that you absolutely couldn't stand to be around. But that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part of imprinting was that you were stuck with that person for all of eternity, no ifs, ands, or butts. Well unless one of you died, or you tore one another to shreds, which was common among imprinted shifters.

"Let me guess, it wasn't on Leah," I said, extremely sad for Sam and Leah. Last I knew the two of them had been deeply in love. They were perfect for one another and incredibly blissful, which meant that the Fates had no choice but to split them up in the most dreadful way possible. Why couldn't they let someone deserving have a sliver of happiness in their life? Why did they always have to destroy good things?

"Nope, it was on Emily," Jacob said. My jaw dropped.

"No way," I whispered, though it wasn't that much of a surprise. Jacob nodded his head. "What assholes! How could they make him imprint on the girl he loves cousin?"

"For kicks," Jacob growled. "You know how they are."

"Yes, yes I do." I said, glaring down at the table. I wanted to march right up the side of Mount Olympus and give those three a piece of my mind and much more, though this had all taken place some amount of time ago. It would be insanely stupid of me to attack three, powerful goddesses, but I was so pissed off that I was willing to risk their wrath for the few seconds I might have to kick their freaking asses. "I take it that Leah went a bit ballistic over that," I commented; flexing my hand into a fist. I was doing my best to control my anger. It more or less worked.

"It took all of us, both packs, to restrain her from raging war against all the gods," Jacob said, a slight hint of pride in his voice. Leah being a member of his pack really meant a lot to him since she was the third strongest wolf-shifter (Sam and Jacob being first and second), and she was as loyal as anyone could be to a leader. "But we did it, and then she went after Emily. It was almost a bloodbath," Jacob commented bitterly.

"What a shame," I muttered, remembering how they used to be so close. "So Sam's with Emily now?" I asked, shaking my head in disgust. Of course not at them. It wasn't like they had a choice in the matter.

"Don't you remember me saying that Sam's no longer an alpha?"

"Yeah," I said. "But that doesn't mean that he's not with Emily. They could be a pack of two, and he her alpha." Not that they would be a successful pack. Three or more was always the best numbers.

"He's not," Jacob told me. "He took off. We have no idea where he is."

"Sam wouldn't do that," I said with a frown. It was impossible to believe. "He never runs away from his responsibilities." That was something that I truly admired about him. Sam was a trooper till the very end.

"Being imprinted on someone you don't love is a very difficult thing to deal with," Jacob said, gazing at me with more emotion than called for. I quickly averted his gaze. I knew what he was getting at, though he wasn't imprinted yet. "And how could he have hung around? We two packs work together all the time. There would never be a moment of peace for him or for the girls."

"So you condone what he did?"

"I'm not saying that it was the best way to handle the situation, but…in the long run it's made things easier," Jacob said.

"Yes, because hatred between cousins is always easier," I mumbled as I stared down at my now opened hand. I wasn't as mad as before, but still enough to want to hit something.

"Shit happens, Bella," Jacob replied, sounding like he was ten times older than me. "And there's nothing we can do but suck it up and move on. We both know this."

"Yeah, but it can still make my blood boil," I said, wishing that life wasn't as hard and complicated for us immortals as it was. Mortals, weak little humans, didn't know how blessed they were that they were only on this earth for seventy or so years and then it was all done. Of course afterwards they spent the rest of eternity in the Underworld where everything was the same all the time, but that wasn't so horrible. It definitely wasn't as bad as what we non-dying of old age people had to go through, continuing on and dealing with the every changing world. And one another. It was a tossup over which was worse.

"So Persephone climb out of her coffin yet?" Jacob asked, changing the subject to something not so depressing.

"Unfortunately," I said with a slight snarl. Yes, I was away from her, but that didn't mean that my dislike of her had lessened any. I was still more than a little ticked at her for what she had done to me.

"Is she here with you?" Jacob glanced around, checking to make sure that she was no where in sight. Our feelings about her were mutual, though she wouldn't fry Jacob as bad for overhearing him talk smack about her as she would me. "In town?"

"No, and she's not at the cabin where I'm living for the summer, either," I told him. Jacob stared at me with a confused expression clouding his features.

"But isn't she always with Demeter when she drags herself out of Hell?"

"Yes, but I'm not staying with Demeter," I said, not really sure if I wanted to get into my living situation. Jacob wasn't going to like it. Not one bit.

"Then who are you living with?" Jacob almost demanded like a small child. Yup. There was his powerful jealousy showing its ugly face.

"A friend," I said simply.

"Is she treating you right?" Jacob said, continuing his inquisition of me.

"She isn't a she. She's a he," I corrected him. "And, yes, he is treating me right."

"He?" Jacob looked taken aback by that.

"Yes, he."

"Is _he_ treating you right?" Jacob asked, envy almost turning his face green.

"_He _has a name, and it's Edward," I said with a roll of my eyes. I knew he was going to react like this. Stupid testosterone. "And I already told you that he is."

"How are you…why…why are you with him, here?" Jacob finally got out.

"I needed to get away from Persephone, and I—never mind," I cut myself off and turned to stare at the menu that for some odd reason no waiter or whatever had come to take from the table. Maybe they were intimidated by Jacob. He could be quite scary at times, but he was a great guy at heart. It was just his job that made him a bit course on the outside.

"You like him, don't you?" Jacob asked, and he didn't mean in just a friend sense either. I didn't dare show any sign that I had heard him. No, I continued to study the menu. "Bella, do you…do you love him?" Jacob took the menu off the table. I sighed and rose my gave to meet his. He didn't look so jealous any more, but I could tell that he would get pissed if I attempted to lie to him and that was something that I had never been good at. He would know immediately.

"Yes, Jacob, I love Edward," I said, and realized at the moment that what I spoke was the truth. I was hopelessly in love with Edward. I couldn't help but grin a little at the thought.

"Is he mortal?" Jacob didn't sound like the insane ex that he had a few moments ago. No, now he just seemed like my concerned and somewhat defeated best friend.

"No," I said.

"What is he then?"

"Um, I'm not exactly sure," I told him honestly.

"Are you stupid?" Jacob hissed, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "What if he's a—"

"He isn't a vampire or anything along those lines," I said, cutting Jacob off. "I think he may be a nymph, but I'm not sure."

"A nymph? A nymph!" Jacob practically cried with a mix of horror and laughter. "You have to be kidding me?"

"He's not like the others," I said defensively. My eyebrows knitted together and I stared him down. Jacob was making me mad now. Who the hell was he to judge who I was in love with? The guy had dated the daughter of a wine god. Yeah, I bet she had been such a classy chick. "Edward is a great guy."

"He makes you happy," Jacob said, wiping the look off his face. I nodded furiously. "I guess that's all that matters." Jacob didn't sound too happy to be admitting that, but at least he was trying to do the right thing. That in itself was touching.

"Thanks," I patted Jacob on his hand.

"Does he know about you?" He was talking about me being a god and Aro's obsession with being wherever I was, in one sense or another.

"I haven't told him yet."

"So you love him, but you don't trust him," Jacob smirked. I took my hand from his.

"It's not that I don't trust him. I just…well you remember how difficult it was for us to be together, a couple," I said.

"It wasn't as hard as you think," Jacob replied. "And I'd be willing to give it a shot again."

"Jacob," I warned sharply.

"You've moved on, I realize this," Jacob said. "But I'm just saying that I'm here in case your nymph goes all conceited and fruity on you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I told him, though deep down I knew that I would never be able to be romantic with Jacob again. We'd tried it once, it hadn't worked out so well, and now we were extremely close friends. He didn't seem to see it that way, and I was in no mood to try and get it into his thick skull that I loved him but wasn't _in_ love with him. There would come a time when I would have to, but today was not that day.

"Will you tell him one day?" Jacob asked.

"Maybe after I turn seventeen," I said. "Then I'll have control of my powers."

"That's coming up soon," Jacob mused. I nodded. "Any idea what your weakness is yet?"

"Like I'd give something that important up," I scoffed playfully. Of course I would tell Jacob my weakness if I knew it. I trusted him with my life. He would never sell me out no matter how upset he was over the fact that we weren't dating.

"I take that as a no," Jacob grinned. "But it could be—" A loud ringing interrupted him. Jacob held up his finger to signal that he needed a minute, and then pulled from his pants' pocket a sleek black phone. He flipped it open and held it up to his ear. "Hello? What is it?" He paused to give whoever was on the other side to speak. "You have. Where?" he asked, looking troubled. "Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes, if that. Bye," Jacob murmured, snapping his phone shut. He focused his attention back on me. "Um, Bella…"

"Go do your job," I said, smiling widely to show that I wasn't offended.

"I'm sorry to have to leave," Jacob sounded depressed to be cutting our get together short. I had to confess that I was, too.

"It's alright," I waved his words away. "I've gotta go get some crackers anyways."

"We'll meet again, soon, right?" Jacob asked as he stood up.

"Duh," I laughed, also getting up. We both hugged each other one last time before Jacob quickly took off out of the coffee shop, and then was out of sight in a flash. I sighed, already missing my best friend terribly. So what if we had promised to see each other soon? That could be years from now, and I didn't want to wait that long. It was so nice talking with him. I didn't have to hide anything or guard my words. I was completely at ease around him. "Bye, Jacob," I whispered, feeling almost close to tears. I sucked in my breath, straightened my back, and then stared for the door. No way was I going to cry. I had to be strong. For what? I didn't know. But I still had to be in control.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey, guys. I know it's been awhile, but this school year has been my busiest yet. I hate all the homework and other junk that I have going on. It takes away from all the time that I could be spending on my stories. *sigh* Anyways, here's chapter 30. I hope that all of you enjoy this, and, just to tell you,this is written from Edward's POV. There won't be many chapters in this story from his POV, but there will be a few. This is the first. Alright. R&R. Please!**

Edward ducked under a low, fungus infested tree branch that was in his way, and picked up his pace. He couldn't travel as he wished to because there was a great possibility that some mortals were hiking in the surrounding area even though the weather was crappy. No, if he did do what his legs were itching to do, any mortals around Edward wouldn't be able to completely see him, but they would get a hint that something odd was going on (they always did when he ran) and then they more than likely would mention it to others, and word could get out to the wrong people or things. So he would just jog, more or less to his destination. It wouldn't kill him, only frustrate him a little.

He was heading back to the spot that he had taken Bella yesterday. Edward had caught a whiff of a being, or beings, not mortal, and that worried him. Worried him greatly because he didn't know what it might be, and he had no idea if it (or they) would try to hurt him or, worse yet, _his_ Bella. Yes, he thought of her as his. Edward had grown attached to her over the past few months, and though she was hot tempered and the most stubborn person he had ever met, he found her to be exciting and was discovering more and more that he wanted to spend all his time with her. It was dangerous, though, his growing affections for her. He knew this with his entire soul, but Edward was reluctant to admit the truth of what might and would happen if the two of them got together. And he didn't plan on doing it any time soon. No, not while they were here and just beginning to explore one another. Edward would bury his head in the sand and pretend everything was fine. It was stupid and he was going to pay for his foolishness, but he didn't really care at the moment.

A sound of soft footsteps made Edward suddenly stop in his tracks. He stood very still and quickly scanned the woods before him, but couldn't find a trace of anything. He knew something was there, though. No mortals ever walked as quiet as that. It wasn't a skill that they possessed even if some believed that they did. The best of them were as loud as a mudslide.

"Who's there?" Edward called, a deep warning echoing behind his simple words. He was not to be trifled with and he wanted whatever was out there to know that.

"A friend," a voice responded from beside his right shoulder. Edward jumped back and folded his body into an attacking crouch; facing the speaker. But there was nothing there. Edward cocked his head to the side.

"What?" he asked, confused. The voice, seeming to come from the spot that Edward had just left, chuckled warmly. Edward narrowed his eyes. That laugh sounded uncomforting and familiar. "Alastor?" he said.

"How could you forget that we gods can travel invisibly in the mortal world?" The voice sounded amused, though neither confirmed nor denied that it was who Edward thought it was. "But I'm glad you did. The look on your face was priceless. Definitely worth it."

"Alastor, what are you doing here?" Edward asked, making up his mind that the non-mortal that he was speaking to was who he thought it was. He stepped out of his defensive position, but kept his guard up. Alastor wasn't evil like some gods, but he was the god of family discord and he adored being as devious as possible.

"I take it you don't agree with me about your face," Alastor mused as he materialized instantly before Edward's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Edward repeated, wanting to get right to the point. He wasn't going to beat around the bush. Alastor was not his favorite being to hang around, and he wanted to get away from him as quick as possible.

"So moody," Alastor chided teasingly, and then sighed disappointedly when he realized that Edward wasn't going to play along. "Well I was in the neighborhood and a little bird (actually my current squeeze. She's a lovely, delicate thing, you know?) told me that you were around, so I thought that I'd stop in unexpectedly," Alastor told him in a bored tone, obviously thinking that his reasons for being in Washington when he hated anything to do with nature was one of the dullest topics on the face of the earth. Edward could tell that he wasn't speaking the truth. Alastor had searched him out for something in particular, most likely to get under his skin. He loved to make Edward steam. It was something that he had to do every couple decades or so.

But on a more sour idea, he could have been sent to deliver a message of sorts to Edward, which could be horrible, all depending on who the message was from and what it said.

"I bet," Edward said curtly. "What does he have to say?" Edward wasn't going let Alastor torture him if he had been sent to tell him something, and to do that his plan was to beat Alastor to the punch.

"Who is he? Oh…," Alastor trailed off and twisted one of the many blonde braids that covered his head around his long index finger. "I haven't spoken to him in some time," he finally said after a couple of dragged out moments. "We've kind of lost touch, not that I mind. He is such a downer, and always acting like he's some big hotshot. Annoying!" Alastor rolled his unsettling silver eyes. "And anyways, I'm working for someone else now. She's much more…inspiring and powerful. I have no doubt that what she was in mind will happen."

"So you don't have a message for me?" Edward concluded, not surprised that Alastor was serving someone else. He always switched sides to whoever looked as if they were going to win. And he knew that he should ask who his new mistress was, but there was a slim chance that Alastor would actually tell him. And Edward didn't want to waste his time.

"No, but I'm curious." Alastor dropped his braid and stared intently at Edward. "Is it true that you've been assigned to convince the hybrid to trust you, become your friend?"

"Why is that your concern?" Edward narrowed his gaze.

"Oh, that was just one of the last things that that certain someone, I gather you don't want to mention names, and I spoke of," Alastor told him. "What a lousy job. I am truly sorry."

"I feel your remorse," Edward said sarcastically.

"So you do have a sense of humor," Alastor giggled.

Edward didn't respond.

"So I gather that you haven't told the hybrid yet, you know, about what you are and who you work for and what your supposed to do?"

"No, I haven't," Edward huffed, not wanting to discuss this topic any further with the god. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Well I think it's absolutely important for her to know all this. I mean, you didn't tell your brother about who your boss was and look how he ended up," Alastor grinned devilishly.

In a flash Edward was standing in front of Alastor. He was a few inches taller than the god and stood over him menacingly. He bared his teeth, fighting back the feeling of sudden guilt and sadness that was being to stir rapidly in the pit of his stomach. No, instead he pulled his fist back as if he was about to hit Alastor and glared daggers at him.

"You leave him out of this," Edward growled, ever word razor sharp. "And that will never happen to my Bella. I won't let it."

"Your Bella?" Alastor chortled, his voice echoing throughout the forest. He had no fear of Edward's threatening stance before him. "Edward, have you fallen in love with the hybrid?"

"No," Edward said too quickly, though that wasn't the truth. Bella meant more to him than she would ever be able to guess. She was the one good thing to happen to him in a long time, not that he deserved to have her. What he had done over the past centuries was enough to commend him to a lifetime in Tarturus, and him being around Bella made everything even worse; especially now since he would give and do anything to keep himself from going through with the plan that had brought him to Forks, Washington two years ago.

"You shouldn't, you know," Alastor chided him, still in a humorous manner. He found this to be absolutely hilarious. "Her fate is not a happy one, though I have a feeling that some of her misfortune may be because of you."

"I've done nothing to harm her," Edward snapped.

"Maybe not now, but who's to say you won't in time," Alastor mused; gently shoving Edward away from him. "Have you forgotten why you've been here, in Washington, for such a long stretch of time?"

"I won't do what he wants," Edward said defiantly.

"Because of love," Alastor snorted; a mischievous spark coming over his square face as if he knew some secret that Edward didn't. "How sweet," he added.

"Just leave," Edward hissed, wanting the god as far away from him as possible. In less than fifteen minutes he was already sick and tired of Alastor. It happened each and every time that the two ran into one another. Alastor had that personality that rubbed Edward the wrong way, and there was nothing, really, that Edward could do about it. Before it had been because the two of them had worked for the same person, and that person wouldn't have been too happy to lose such a guile god as Alastor. Now it was because Alastor worked for some mysterious other person, and Edward didn't want to chance pissing that person, god, or thing off.

"What you're looking for are shifters," Alastor said quite suddenly, startling Edward. "And I'd say they're going to be swarming the woods in about four minutes, plenty of time for you to get running if you want."

"How'd you know?" Edward quizzed, not liking Alastor's excessive knowledge about things that he hadn't mentioned out loud.

"I'm a god," Alastor winked. "We know everything, but we just pick and choose when we release the information."

"Why do you care if a horde of shifters attack me?" Edward asked.

"I care about you, Edward. I really do," Alastor said, looking more sincere than all the creatures in existence put together. "We've had so many good times, and I owe you one. So instead of you running away like a coward, I'll just wipe away your scent from the area, which will confuse the shifters and make them give up their search. How's that sound?"

"Whatever," Edward muttered, sensing that Alastor had other motives. But he wasn't going to mention anything at the moment. It might make Alastor change his mind, and Edward couldn't afford that. Any type of help was needed at the time being.

"I'll take that as a yes," Alastor said, and then snapped his fingers. "There," he beamed. "All better."

"Thanks," Edward mumbled, not wanting to utter it too loudly.

"That was half-ass," Alastor grumbled. "But I'll bug you about that next time we meet, which I have a feeling will be sooner than you think. I have to go meet a few people and chat. Make my rounds since you and the shifters aren't the only mythical beings around the area. Bye, Edward."

"Bye," Edward nodded, unhappy. Alastor waved once, and then in a spark of white light was gone. Edward sighed deeply, this visit with Alastor making his mind unsettled. He turned around and started walking back towards his cabin. Bella would be home soon, and he wanted to pick up where he had cut them off yesterday. Was it a smart decision? No, it was very selfish and stupid of him, but he couldn't just force Bella away. Not now. He was in too deep with her, and there was nothing that could make him stop what was happening between the two of them. Not even the sinister plan that was the real reason behind their budding romance. No, not even that.


	31. Sweet Confessions

**Hey, everyone. Well here's chapter 31. I can't believe I'm this far. Squee!!! Lol. OK, so I hope that you all enjoy this. It's very sweet and touching, I think, and I hope that you all think so too. Alright. Don't forget to review!**

I got back to the cabin later than what I had first planed on. That was because I decided to drive around the area for a bit after I had left the coffee shop. I just didn't want to get home too soon because it wouldn't be any fun to be there alone. I had grown so used to Edward being there with me that I had no doubt in my mind that I would be driven insane from the boredom that would surely befall on me if I was left to endure the silent cabin by my lonesome. Plus, driving the Volvo was an incredible experience and since I wasn't sure when I'd get to drive it next, I thought that I should get the most out of it that I possibly could.

When I did pull into the driveway that led up to the cabin it was close to six in the afternoon. I turned off the Volvo, pocketed the keys, and then stepped out into the chilly air. The temperature had dropped considerably in the past few hours, and in any moment it was going to downpour like crazy. I didn't want to get soaked, so I sprinted as fast as I could to the front door and flung myself inside.

"Get the crackers?" a voice asked me. I jumped slightly and then turned towards the living room's doorway. I grinned as I saw Edward standing there looking calm and ten times more relaxed than he had earlier. That instantly put me more at ease. Apparently yesterday he had just over reacted, that's all.

"Crackers?" I quizzed, and suddenly remembered that that was the weak reason he had sent me into town earlier. I shook my head. "No, sorry. I forgot."

"That's alright," Edward said, sending a dazzling smile back in my direction. "We wouldn't have time to enjoy them anyway. At least not now."

"What do you mean?"

Edward's smile turned into a mischievous smirk, and I knew that he had something in mind, something that I was either going to like or despise immensely. Hopefully it was the first. "Let's go for a walk."

"Why?" I asked, quite lamely. I mentally slapped myself. What in the world was I questioning him for? He wanted to spend time with me…Alone...Somewhere not in the cabin. This was what I had been wanting since our disrupted moment yesterday in the field. I shouldn't sound like I doubted it. What was wrong with me?

"You'll see," Edward told me as he strolled over to my side and took a hold of my hand. My heart rate picked up immediately, but I kept my face tranquil and collected even though I felt like screaming to the heavens with joy.

"Alright," I said, and at that he started to lead me back to the front door. We stepped outside and began to stroll to who knows where. A part of me, a tiny part, was thinking about the fact that in seconds the sky could open up and throw down hundreds of buckets of frosty water onto us in a blink of an eye, but I pushed that thought away. No, what my mind was mostly consumed with was Edward. His presence was driving me crazy, but in a way that made my stomach erupt into a thousand butterflies. I liked the feeling, even though it felt as if I was going to heave out the quick lunch that I had grabbed at one of the places where I had stopped for gas. Why was my stomach always full when Edward decided to be sweet and all close with me? How was that even fair?

We didn't go into the woods like I believed that we would. Instead we walked along the edge of the forest at a gentle pace. We weren't in any hurry to get anywhere. It seemed that Edward just wanted to enjoy me being by his side as much as I was enjoying him by mine. And I was more than happy with that.

"Do anything interesting while you were gone?" Edward asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us.

"Not particularly," I said, not in the mood to mention Jacob and the sad news that he had brought with him. I didn't want to bring down my cheerful high. Not now. Not while I was having such a great moment with Edward.

"Sorry that I sent you away," he apologized, gazing at me with sincerity.

"That's alright," I lied with a shrug. There was no point in telling the truth. I would sound like a needy insane person, and I sure the hell didn't want him to think that way of me.

"Bella, you should…let's sit," Edward said, pointing at a tall, bushy oak tree that stuck out from all the rest of the trees surrounding it. I wanted to know what he was about to say, but instead changed my mind and sat on the green grass close to one of the tree's many large roots. Edward plopped down beside me, and then instantly found my hand again since we had had to let go so that we could both take a seat without falling over. He intertwined his cool fingers with mine, and brushed some of my hair out of my face. I sighed with a force of giddiness behind it. I couldn't help it. Edward just made me feel so not in control of myself, and I wasn't used to that. But I found that the more it happened, the more I liked it.

"Was the Volvo easy to drive?" Edward quizzed randomly, tracing patterns around my knuckles with the tips of his fingers.

"Yes, so you'll have to watch out. I think I might just steal it away from you," I gushed, really meaning it. The Volvo was awesome, but why were we talking about it? Was there a point to it?

"You can have it if you want it," Edward said, surprising me. Who would give up something like that? I mean, yeah he could probably get a new or better car if he cared to, but why would he? The Volvo was in great shape, an amazing vehicle. No, I couldn't have it.

"I could never take something like that from you, Edward," I said as I shook my head. "It's too much."

"Well what could you take from me?" Edward asked, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. He gestured with his free hand for me to prop myself against him. At first I resisted, but he tugged me gently and soon my head was resting against his chest. Through his shirt I could feel the hardness of his stone-y chest, and to most people that would be an odd sensation but I didn't find it unnerving in the slightest. No, it was the complete opposite, and I longed to stay there propped up next to him for longer than time itself.

"What would you take from me?" Edward repeated, bringing me back to the present. "If you could have anything."

"I don't want to take a single thing from you," I said. "Edward, I'm not that type of girl."

"I know you aren't," Edward said as he began to stroke my hair. "But there are different types of things that you can take from someone, and they don't have to be material things, either."

"I don't understand what you're saying," I told him truthfully. I was confused. Where was he going with this? And why?

"Bella, if I offered you something really important to me, more important than an expansive car or other possessions along that line, do you think that you could accept it?" Edward asked, sounding nervous and unsure. That wasn't like him, not at all. Was I doing this to him? Could he possibly care about me so much that he was unsure of himself around me? Was there any way that I could be so fortunate to have that much affect on the one person that I was sure I was meant to spend the rest of how ever long forever was? Could the Fates be smiling down upon me at this very second?

"What do you want to give to me?" I gulped, feeding off of the nervousness that was rolling off his body in huge waves that threatened to pull me under.

"I want to give you my…heart," he mumbled, but since I was so close to him I heard it without difficulty. I sucked in a deep breath, and a shiver went down my spine. This was really unexpected. Yeah, I figured that he felt something for me. I could tell that by what had occurred yesterday. Edward wasn't the type of guy to romance a girl just to get her to put of for him. So him almost kissing me hadn't been a ploy to get into my pants. He really cared, but I hadn't thought that it was so…Did he really want to give me his heart?

"Why?" I couldn't resist asking. It was a burning question that I needed answered first before I could answer his.

"Because even though every bit of my common sense is telling me to keep my mouth shut and not say a word about the deep longing that my soul has for you and go on with life as if I only wanted us to be good friends, I can't. I can't because, Bella, I love you. I love you so much that the…well I'm not sure. It's beyond words and hard to describe," Edward blurted out in a frantic rush as if he had to say it before he lost the courage to do so. I raised my head to look up at him as I fought the tears that suddenly popped out of nowhere and threatened to fall from my eyes.

"You love me?" I whispered, not able to believe that I had heard him right. I couldn't have heard him right. There was just no way.

"More than life itself," he vowed, locking his gaze with mine. The heat and affection that flowed from him to me was so intense that I wasn't able to hold back the tears anymore. They broke free and flowed freely down my cheeks in tiny, salty rivers.

"I love you, too," I said, through a voice so thick I was sure that Edward hadn't understood me. I could hardly understand myself. "I love you."

"I heard you the first time," Edward chuckled softly as he wiped away the tears and the trails that they left behind from existence. He bent forward and lightly kissed each one of my cheeks. I shivered again, only this time from the jolts that sprouted from the contact. Then he kissed the tip of my nose and I couldn't help but giggle; finally allowing some of my giddy butterflies to get out. "You don't laugh enough," Edward said fondly, "And you should."

"Sorry," I breathed. "It's just that my fam—" I never got to finish my sentence, the sentence that would have led me into telling Edward my secret. He should know. It was something that was very important, and I figured that now would have been a good time to confess since we were in such a raw state with one another. But Edward had other plans. He took me by surprise by pressing his amazing lips to mine. At first it was slow and sweet, giving me time to realize that we were really kissing for the first time. The electricity made my blood boil, but it started to sing grandly when he got more forceful with the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. One of his hands flew to my hair where it got tangled, and the other swirled designs up and down my back; making the experience even more exciting and passionate.

I'm not exactly sure how long the two of us sat there intertwined with one another, and I honestly don't care. The only place that I wanted to be was in Edward's embrace. The rest of the world fell away from my mind as I inhaled, touched, and tasted everything that Edward was. Nothing else mattered except him and me and the moment that we were both caught up in. Nobody else was as important as Edward and what he was making me feel.

I pulled away for just an instant to ketch my breath when all of a sudden something cold and wet splashed onto my forehead. It was quickly followed by a few more, and I came to the conclusion that the sky had finally decided to let loose all the water that it had stored in its dingy clouds.

"Oh!" I cried as the few droplets turned into an icy downpour that had the back of my hoodie soaked in a matter of seconds even though we were underneath the large leaves a tree, and they should have protected me from the worst of it, but nope. It was as if the tree wasn't even there.

"Oops," Edward laughed good-naturedly as he jumped to his feet. He helped me to mine, and together, hand in hand, we ran as fast as we could through the shower. I felt light headed and so at peace that if I thought about it for a long time, it would scare me. I was never calm. Some part of my mind was always worrying about what could happen at any time, but that was gone. With Edward my mind could finally rest. That was such a good feeling, and I prayed silently that it would never go away; that he would never go away.


	32. Fateful Visit

**Hey, thanks to all of you that have reviewed. It truly means a lot. I want to forewarn that this chapter is on the shorter side and it may not seem important, but I'm telling you that it is. Please don't judge it on its shortness, and I promise that the chapters to come will more than quench your thirst for long-ness and amazing-ness (damn, I sound conceited. Lol). Alright, so enjoy and review. Please! **

Erebus took in a quick surveillance of his surroundings before raising his hand to rap his knuckles against the door three times; sharply. In seconds it was pulled open just a sliver to reveal a topaz eye staring cautiously out from a thin, pale face.

"What are you doing here?" the creature, a female vampire, asked. Her voice sounded like the lull of small bells, and would have enticed him if he were human.

"Where is Carlisle?" Erebus quizzed, avoiding her question. It wasn't her that he was here to see.

"I'm here," a deep voice called from behind the female. She stepped back from the door, allowing Carlisle to fill her place. "Erebus? What do you want?"

"May I come in?"

"You're alone?" Carlisle attempted to look past Erebus' tall frame to the hazily lit street behind him.

"When am I ever with company?" Erebus countered not all that patiently. There was little time, and they were just wasting it by standing and talking. They needed to act now before others stepped in and messed everything up, everything that Erebus had been setting up for the past few months.

"Alright," Carlisle said after a moment, and then pulled the door the rest of the way open. Erebus shuffled as fast as he could into the house. The hall in which they stood was dimly lit by three candles spaced evenly apart on a small table. Shadows danced across the walls, making the mood mysterious and forbidden. Erebus didn't know if it was because of him that it felt like this, being the God of Darkness that seemed to happen a lot, or if it was just the fact that the house was owned by creatures of the night that feasted on blood. Either way it didn't matter. He wasn't here for the house. No, he had a job to do.

From the other room came in three figures. One was a male, and the other two were female; one of them being the female that had answered the door. They all stood silently behind Carlisle, each wearing a mask of curiosity and caution. No, it wasn't often that they had visitors such as Erebus and they didn't trust him. Not that they could be blamed, though this wasn't the first time that he had called on them.

"Why are you here?" Carlisle asked, taking on a conversational tone.

"You need to go back to Forks," Erebus said, no sound of compromise echoing in his voice.

"We can't," one of the females hissed. It wasn't the one with the bell-like voice. No, she was blonde and taller, and was glaring at Erebus with contempt in her golden eyes.

"Jane has been gone for some time now," Erebus said to the blond, ignoring her glare. "And sorry about your loss," he told Carlisle, nodding slightly with sympathy.

"They went out fighting," Carlisle said proudly, though sadness was woven into his words. Erebus knew that he was still upset over the three members that he had lost a few months ago to the smallest and slyest of the Volturi guard. They were his family, a family that he had built when his own had rejected him. It was hard to not have them around, though Erebus didn't know the feeling. He wasn't close enough to anyone to care if they lived or died. The only reason he was trying to stop the Prophecy of Cronus from coming true was because he was saving his own ass, and the other gods would just happen to benefit from his selfishness.

"Yes, well you need to be in Forks," Erebus said, moving things back to focus.

"Carlisle, we can't—"

"Enough, Rosalie," Carlisle muttered sharply, cutting the blond off. "Why do we need to be in Forks?" Carlisle asked Erebus.

"The hybrid is going to need your protection. I have sources that say that the Volutri will soon be making their move to capture her. In a little over a month she will be seventeen. That gives them only so much time to obtain the Cronus Stone and figure out how she must use it."

"She has Demeter," the tiny female vampire chimed in.

"Demeter is no longer in Forks or on Earth for that matter," Erebus told her.

"Where has she gone?" Carlisle quizzed.

"A meeting was called on Mount Olympus yesterday. She had no choice but to attend. All twelve gods were called. I fear that the beginning of what has been foreshadowed in the prophecy will occur from what is decided at this meeting," Erebus said, making it a point to hold Carlisle's gaze as he spoke. "Another Titan has been released and this has sent Zeus into a panic."

"Can you not stop them?" Carlisle almost whispered.

"I am not one of the stronger gods, so I can not be on Mount Olympus while they are conversing. I'll have to wait until they finish to find out their decision," Erebus replied.

"So is Bella unaccompanied?" the male which stood between the two females inquired.

"No, she is not," Erebus said. "She's been out of Demeter's care for a while with a friend. She's around some lake not too far from Forks."

"Who is she with?" the small female asked.

Erebus captured Carlisle's gaze again and a quick, yet deep understanding flashed between them. Carlisle nodded briefly and then turned so that he was facing what remained of his unique coven.

"Jasper, Alice, Rosalie. We leave in three minutes. Be ready by then," he ordered calmly, though spoke powerful enough that the three wouldn't dare disobey him.

"Yes," they all hissed somewhat unhappily as they shot out of the hall and into the depths of the house. Carlisle turned his focus back to Erebus.

"How will you get her back to Forks?"

"A friend still owes me another favor," Erebus replied with a small smirk. "Are you sure you'll be there by tomorrow afternoon? Forks is across the country, and I don't want her to be a moment without protection."

"Never doubt the power of a vampire," Carlisle grinned slightly, though no humor showed through it.

"I was once as stupid as the rest of my brothers and sisters and thought you were nothing but an idle threat," Erebus said, "though now I know better, and I pray that my sudden realization didn't come too late."

"I don't think that—"

"We're ready," the blond interjected Carlisle as the three of them flitted almost silently into the area. Almost silent because Erebus could feel even the fraction of a speck of disturbance in the darkness that surrounded him. It was the very substance that made him up, what he had been born from.

"Alright." Carlisle clapped his hands together and then grabbed a coat hanging from the wall. He put it on, not that he would need it. After he was done, he came to stand right beside Erebus. "It truly all begins tonight doesn't it?" he murmured so low that the others wouldn't be able to hear. "Everything we've feared."

"The moment you walk out of the door," Erebus murmured back, barely moving his lips.

"Goodbye!" Carlisle said much louder with a sad smile tugging at his lips as he stepped away from the God of Darkness.

"Keep her alive," was Erebus' only remark as the four vampires shot out of the front door and into the dark curtain of night. Erebus watched them leave from sight and shut the door once he could no longer feel them within the darkness. He turned his back on the front door and focused his mind on locating his so-called friend. "Morpheus!" he shouted into the stillness of the now empty house.

The air around him snarled and snapped just moments before a small, curly haired god fell from out of nowhere and landed before Erebus' feet. The god jumped up and forcefully wiped the dirt from the thin, lime green robe that he was wearing.

"You're an ass," Morpheus growled when he was done. "You know how much I hate that."

"Then you shouldn't have signed that contract," Erebus countered. "You knew what it consisted of, and now must deal with your choice."

"I was tricked, you devious bastard!" Morpheus steamed, but quickly settled down when he saw that it wouldn't get him anywhere to rant. Erebus was not in the mood, and there was no time for Morpheus' whining. "What do you want?" he finally grumbled in defeat.

"I need you to make a custom dream and to put it into someone. Tonight."

"Why? Wait. No, answer me who first."

"The hybrid."

"I already gave her one in March," Morpheus said, frowning.

"Well she didn't understand the meaning," Erebus said, rubbing his temples. His already thin patience was about ready to snap.

"Not my fault she's an idiot," Morpheus sniffed, clearly taking offense. "Because I thought the meaning was very clear."

"Your opinions don't matter," Erebus snapped, sick of Morpheus. "You are required to do as I say, and I'm commanding you to make that dream!"

"Bastard," Morpheus muttered under his breath. He glared sharply at Erebus, but Erebus knew that he would be getting that dream.

"Pay attention," Erebus ordered, paying Morpheus' comment no mind. He moved closer to the other god and stared him squarely in the face. "This has to go exactly as I say, or it won't work. Do understand that?"

"I understand," Morpheus jeered. "But what makes you so sure that she'll get the message this time?"

"I just know," Erebus said, his tone telling Morpheus to be quiet. "Now this is what I want…"


	33. Dead Guardian

**Hey everyone! I hope that you all had a good Christmas. I meant for this chapter to be an early present, but unfortunately I got sick last week and was unable to put it up. But here it is now. I hope that you all enjoy it because I loved writing it. Don't forget to review, and all of you have an excellent New Year's. **

_My hair whipped fiercely around my head as a cold rush of wind blew past me. The skirt that I was wearing, a mass of fiery gold and neon pink folds, flew up; the bells sown onto the front jingling like crazy. Their eerie music echoed around me, the only sound besides my deep breathing and the wind to fill the air. It was night, a bitter one at that. I wrapped my arms around myself as I gazed up at the sky. It was a shadow color and a golden hue was woven in with it, completely weird looking. And there was a slivery blue moon hanging in the otherwise empty sky. It rained light upon me and the area where I stood. I shivered at the harshness of it._

_I diverted my attention away from above and focused on what was in front of me. I noticed instantly that I was no longer at Crescent Lake with Edward. No, I was in Forks and was standing in front of my home there. My face scrunched up in a grimace. I didn't understand why I was here. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to be in the cabin cuddling with Edward on the couch or in his room. What did this place hold for me? Persephone was still here. It wasn't fall yet, so I knew that she wasn't back with Hades. And there was no way that she would go early. I didn't want to face her. That's why I had left in the first place. What the hell? This wasn't fair._

_Suddenly a noise broke the almost silent night. It was a desperate cry for help, and I instantly recognized it as Demeter. I lost no time in reacting. I picked up my skirt and started to run towards the front steps. I was a foot away from the bottom when something hard and deathly cold leapt out from the side of me and grabbed a hold of my wrist; forcing me to a abrupt stop. I turned sharply and glared at the person._

_"Let go!" I barked, pissed that I was being delayed from helping Demeter._

_"Don't, Bella," the guy said, his voice as smooth as his weird colored eyes. I was momentarily distracted from my anger and worry of Demeter, and attempted to get a good look at them. His eyes seemed familiar, but he dropped his head before I could focus on them. This made me distrust him, and all my previous emotions came flooding back to me with a force that almost knocked me off my feet._

_"Drop my arm," I hissed, tugging._

_"This isn't what you think," the guy said, talking to his feet, but I could still hear the urgency in his tone as clearly as if it was day. "You'll get hurt if you go inside."_

_"I don't care," I spat, smacking his forearm with my free hand. It was like hitting stone._

_"Bella, just stay out here with me. Please!" he begged, intense fear seeping into his voice._

_"No!" I screamed as another yelp came from inside the house. "Now let go." I yanked hard once again, and surprisingly I was set free. The man shook his head, but didn't try to stop me again as I flew up the porch steps and into the house. I frantically searched the downstairs, and was scared, yet relieved, to find nothing. I dashed to the upstairs and quickly checked my room first. There was nothing. I checked the bathroom and spare room. There was nothing. Last, at the end of the hall, was Demeter's room._

_The door was shut as I crept towards it. I pushed it open, and it creaked loudly as it separated itself from the doorway. I got a perfect view of the disastrous condition of inside the room, evidence that a struggle had taken place not too long ago. In the middle of all the chaos and ruin lay a crumpled heap that was lightly sobbing. I made my way over to it. I knelt beside the figure and gently rolled her over. My guardian stared at me with horrorstruck eyes that were leaking tears._

_"Demeter!" I cried, picking her top half up in my arms. She was so limp, making me even more terrified._

_"Bella, you—you have to go," Demeter whispered, her voice sounding miles and miles away._

_"I can't leave you," I told her. "I won't."_

_"Bella, I'm…I'm dying," Demeter coughed, a thin trail of blood flowing from the corners of her mouth._

_"No, you aren't," I said defiantly. "You're going to be fine. I'll just—" That's when I spotted the two bite marks, vampire bite marks, on the side of her neck. They were deep and bleeding profusely; staining Demeter's skin as it pooled under her raised body. I dropped her as if she was a wriggling snake that had come out of nowhere and that had surprised me, and flung myself away from her. I couldn't stop myself from screaming; my scream filled with terror, sadness, and an agony that shattered me to my very core._

_"Bella…Bella…" Demeter tried to say, but choked on her words. I screamed louder and curled up into a tight ball. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to comfort her, to be with her in her last moments of life, but I couldn't bring myself to touch her. I hated myself for being a coward, knew that I was lowly scum that deserved to die more than Demeter did, but I stayed where I was. I continued to let her die by her lonesome._

_"Bell—" Demeter sighed, and then was silent. The vampire venom had finally reached her heart._

_She was dead._

_I ceased my screaming and crawled over to her still body. I collapsed on top of it and bawled my eyes out; my soul breaking into a thousand little pieces. Everything that I've ever known, ever truly cared about, was beneath me no longer breathing. The one person in the world that had put her welfare on the line for me since the day I was unwanted by my real mother was gone. She had given up all that she could have had just to be with me, to protect me from the world, and now she was dead. And it was all my fault. I hadn't been here to protect her. I was horrible. I should be in her place._

_"I'm sorry," I howled into her blood-soaked shirt; her thickening blood covering my cheek._

_"You'll be joining her soon," a voice hissed from somewhere on the other side of the room. I didn't react as I felt a body move so that it was standing behind me. A freezing cold hand pulled back my hair and caressed my neck. I continued to sob; ignoring her._

_"This was too easy," she whispered into my ear. I still clung to Demeter, paying her no mind. She growled ferociously and tipped my head to the side. My neck was more than exposed. "Good-bye, Bella. I wish you would have put up more of a fight. This could have all been fun for the two of us."_

_No response from me._

_"Ah well," she sang cheerfully and sank her piercing fangs into my flesh._

"Demeter, I'm sorry," I cried, my eyes popping open. A tear slid down my hot cheek. I tried to wipe it away, but found that my arms were restricted by something cool and solid. I began to struggle, the weird man and the vampire from my dream flashing through my mind. It took me a few moments to realize where I was. I relaxed a little when it struck me that I was in bed with Edward; his embrace being what pinned my arms to my side.

"Bella?" I heard him ask. He sounded concerned and edgy. I must have startled him when I had called out and tried to get away from him for no apparent reason.

"Edward, we need to go back to Forks," I responded to his question, a sense of dread boiling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know if it was left over from the dream or if it was my sixth sense trying to tell me something, but I didn't' care. Either way I felt like crap and the only way that would go away was if I saw and held Demeter, to know that she was OK.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I think that my mom is—we just need to go, and now," I said, attempting to pry myself away from him. Edward held on to me with a vice-like grip.

"We can't go tonight," he cooed into my ear, trying to coax me out of my ideas with his irresistible voice. "It's two-thirty in the morning."

"I just have such a bad feeling," I moaned, wishing that he'd do as I wanted. "At least let me give her a call."

"Do you really want to disturb her this late?" Edward asked, sounding like he was talking to someone that couldn't quite grasp the concept of reality. I was too worried about Demeter to get pissed at the moment.

"But, Edward, I'm sure that—"

"It's was just a dream," Edward interrupted, nuzzling my hair with his cheek. My body responded by edging in closer to him, which my mind did not like, but it wasn't controlling me for the time being. No, it was the intense emotions that Edward had caused to surge throughout my body. "Nothing is wrong. And you can call at a more suitable hour for proof."

"I have to go back," I insisted, not giving up on my determination to get back home, though I was beginning to drift off to sleep. There was something seriously wrong, and my dream had been aiming to tell me that. I couldn't stay away any longer than was necessary. I just couldn't. "You'll take me later today?"

"I promise," Edward replied, but I noted dread in his voice.

"You OK, Edward?" I yawned, already on the brink of the blackness of sleep.

"I'm fine, Bella," he breathed, kissing the back of my neck tenderly. "Just go to sleep."

"Alright," I barely mumbled and the next moment was out.

I woke up at six and was surprised to find Edward gone. I sat up and heard sounds coming from downstairs in the kitchen. Automatically I knew that he was making me breakfast. My stomach growled slightly at the thought of food, but I had more pressing matters than my hunger; the dream and conversation from a few hours ago echoing inside my head. I jumped from the bed and ran to my room. I got some clothes together for a shower and headed towards the bathroom. I knew that I should have called Demeter first, but if I did than that would send me into a panic attack. Something was majorly not right, but I was going to put off dealing with it until after I was fully awake and clean.

I sailed through my shower and was barely dry as I threw on my jeans and t-shirt. I ran a comb through the tangles that were my hair, and was in the kitchen just as Edward was putting eggs on an already full plate of food.

"I can't eat all that," I told him.

"You can try," Edward said as he put the dirty pan in the sink.

"I won't, though," I insisted as I picked up a pancake and tore a piece off. I shoved it into my mouth and chewed.

"At least half," Edward said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Half," I agreed, leaning into his comforting frame. "And then you'll take me to Forks, right?"

"Yes," Edward replied stiffly. He let me go and I stumbled a little as I gained my footing back. "Now eat up."

I was going to ask him what was bugging him, why he had such a problem with me wanting to go back to Forks, but he was gone by the time that I had turned around. I sighed and began on my breakfast. I wolfed down as much as I could, chugged a giant glass of milk, and then threw what food was left into the garbage. After that, I took the empty plate and glass over to the skin. I rinsed them both off thoroughly, washed my hands when I was done, and dried them on the front of my jeans. I was taking as much time as I could before I called Demeter. Part of the reason for that was because I was giving her time to get up and situated, but mostly I was chicken. What if I was right and Edward was wrong? What if my dream hadn't been a dream, but a premonition? What if—

"Enough," I barked at myself under my voice. I straightened my back and marched over to the phone that was hanging on the kitchen's wall. Now was the time to call. I took the phone off the hook, gingerly dialed my home number, and then held it up to my ear. It rang once, my heart pounded sharply in my chest. Twice, it pounded again. It rang three times, my heart nearly stopped. Demeter never let the phone ring more than twice. The noise bothered her, so she was always quick to answer.

"Edward!" I cried, the phone dropping from my hand.

In a flash he was by my side, a pair of my shoes and a hoodie in his hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking in my pale face and frightened expression.

"It rang three times," I whispered, pointing at the phone that was broken on the kitchen floor. Edward looked down at it and then he was back to staring at my face. "It never rings more than two times."

"Maybe she's busy," Edward suggested.

"No." I shook my head. "We need to go."

Edward opened his mouth as if to say something else, to tell me that I had to calm down and rethink things through, but then his shoulders slumped and I knew that he had changed his mind against it.

"Put these on," he instructed, handing me the items. I slipped them on as quickly as I could, and while I did Edward got on his jacket and found his keys. The moment he saw that I was ready he started for the door; me on his heels. We made our way over to his Volvo and got in. He turned it on, let it warm up for a few minutes, and then we were pulling out of the driveway and heading back to Forks. I bit my lip and fidgeted the entire time that we were driving, which was three hours. Edward tried to start up a conversation with me a few times, but I ignored him and just stared out the window. I was too hyped up to concentrate on anything other than my growing fear.

Around ten the outskirts of Forks came into view. I started to bounce in my seat as the feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one from real early this morning, erupted into a volcano that made me want to scream. Edward noticed my nerves and sped up. We sailed through town, everything passing in a confusing blur. Soon enough we were puling up next to my house. I noticed that Demeter's car was in the driveway, looking like it had been forgotten. I gulped forcefully as I waited for Edward to shut off the Volvo. The moment it was silent I opened up the door and sailed into the warming day. I started to briskly walk, almost jogging in my haste, up the front walk. I was halfway to the house when I realized that Edward wasn't trailing behind me.

I turned around and saw that he was standing at the edge of the lawn, not looking like he was going to go any farther.

"Edward!" I called, making him gaze at me. "Aren't you coming?"

"Bella, why don't I just wait out here?" Edward suggested. "I'm sure that everything is OK and you'll be out faster than I can blink."

"Nothing's fine, Edward," I said, knowing it was true. There was no doubt in my mind anymore. "And I need you. I can't go in there alone. Please don't make me, Edward. Please," I begged.

"Bella…this isn't…I can't…"

"Edward, I need you," I repeated in a heartbreaking tone. Edward closed his eyes for a long time, my pleading finally getting to him. When they opened again I saw that he was going to come in with me, but he wasn't happy about it. He was spooked for some odd reason, which only made me feel ten times antsier. Edward sighed deeply, and then slowly made his way over to where I was. I tried to start walking back towards the house, but Edward stopped me by grabbing a hold of my forearm and pulling me into a tight embrace.

"You have to promise me something before we go in," Edward murmured.

"We don't have time for this, Edward."

"Bella, just promise me that you'll remember that I love you," Edward said urgently, like this was something that was insanely important.

"Edward, why?" I asked, starting to get scared of his attitude. What in the world was wrong with him?

"No. I—I can't explain," Edward told me, and he shook his head. "Please, promise me that you'll remember that I love you. No matter what may happen. Promise me?"

"Are you OK?"

"Just promise," Edward repeated.

"I promise," I said. "And I love you, too," I added.

"I know," Edward said, sounding close to tears. I opened my mouth to comment, but at that moment Edward crushed his lips down to mine and kissed me with a passion that he had never kissed me with before. I reacted to him like I always had before, entangling myself with him, but this time I didn't get quite the same feeling of joy and completion that I had always gotten before. This worried me, though I pushed it to the back of my mind. I had to leave all my thoughts to preparing myself for what I may or may not find in the house.

The kiss ended and then we were on our way up the walkway. I held Edward's hand, but he didn't intertwine his fingers with mine like he had always done before. Edward was almost as nervous as I was, but a part of me deep down told me that it was for a different reason than why I was nervous. He wasn't thinking about my possibly dead guardian. No, something else was on his mind, something that had to do with my house. But what could that be?

We went up the porch steps and stopped at the front door.

"Thank you," I said to Edward, meaning that I was happy that he was doing this with me.

"Remember," was Edward's reply. I nodded, wishing that he had chosen another thing to say, and then reached for the doorknob.

"I will," I promised one more time and opened the door.


	34. Betrayal Shatters

**Thanks to all of you that got a little peeved at me for the last chapter. That was exactly the reaction I was hoping for. I know, strange, but I'm so glad that it got the right emotion across. Yay! Lol. And I'm extremely happy that I have almost a hundred reviews. That is amazing. Go all of you, my faithful readers. You are incredible, and I prey that all of you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one. I like it, but, then again, drama is always something that I like. At least in stories. Lol. Alright, anyways, please read and review. OK? Bye!**

The door creaked on its hinges as it swung away from the doorframe. I stepped over the threshold gingerly; pulling Edward along with me by his reluctant hand. The inside of the house was deathly silent as we started down the shadowed hallway. I gazed around everywhere, my head whipping back and forth, but didn't see one thing out of place. No struggle had taken place. At least not down here that I could see so far. Maybe it was like in my dream and Demeter was upstairs dead from a vampire attack. I shuddered at the thought and pushed it away.

Edward and I turned off of the hallway and went into the living room. It was undisturbed as well. I wanted to feel relieved as I looked around, but I couldn't. The feeling of something not right was getting stronger and stronger. I was breathing hard from the strain of it on my nerves, but I had to keep myself under control. There was no point in freaking out yet. I wasn't even for sure if the events in my dream had taken place.

"Edward, why don't we go upstairs?" I suggested in a small voice, figuring that everything was fine in the downstairs. It was the upstairs that I was mostly concerned about.

"Bella, we really should g—" Edward began to say, but was cut off as a blur out of the corner of my eye flew out from one of the darkened corners of the living room and smacked into him with a loud thud that sounded like boulders cracking to pieces. His hand was ripped away from mine with a fierce jerk that caused pain to sear up in my shoulder. I turned around to see what was wrong, and found Edward in a struggle with a blond figure that was moving so fast that I couldn't tell whether it was male or female. All I knew was that it wasn't human and that its intent was on destroying Edward. I could tell from the fierce growl that left its throat as the two of them tumbled around the living room; leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

I braced myself to jump in on Edward's attacker, but just as I was about to leap something grabbed a hold of my arms and locked them behind me. I tripped over my own feet, but whatever had me kept me from falling. I shrieked in outrage and didn't think as I kicked my legs out behind me; hitting the person, or thing, that held me. This caused both of us to go crashing down to the floor, and I smacked my head against the soft carpet. I didn't register the pain because the person let go of me just before we hit the floor, and I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could. I starred down at the person and was momentarily shocked to find that it was a girl that was extremely tiny with wild looking hair. There was no way that she should have been able to overpower me, but she had. What in the world was she?

The girl jumped to a standing position in a single fluid motion that no human could have accomplished and reached out for me.

"No, you bitch!" I screeched at her and ran for where I heard Edward and his attacker fighting. They were in the hallway, close to the stairs, but I never got to them. The tiny girl bounded after me and in a matter of seconds she had me again. I was once again on the floor, but this time I was back side down with her straddling my hips. I struggled against her with everything that I possessed, screaming the entire time. I hoped that someone would hear me and come to my rescue, though the hope wasn't that strong.

"Shut her up," I heard a male voice call. I was too distracted by the girl to pay him any mind as I sensed him walk over to where the girl had me pinned to the floor.

"Can't you see that I'm having issues holding her still?" the girl spit in a voice that was never meant to hold so much venom.

"Don't be so gentle," the male responded. "Bruises will heal."

"Carlisle wouldn't like it if I hurt her."

"The neighbors are going to hear her yelling, and Rosalie's already making a ton of noise with Edward, so someone's bound to notice that something is going on over here, and we don't need humans interfering."

"Edward," I growled, making no sense, but I was pissed over how the guy had said his name. He made it sound like acid on his tongue, and I instantly despised him. I yanked one of my wrists sharply and was able to pull it out of the girl's steel-like grasp. I swung out at her, connecting my flesh with her hard cheek. I bit back tears as I felt bones in my hand snap like tiny little twigs.

"Why did you have to do that?" the girl asked, shaking her head as if I was a small child throwing a harmless, but pitiful tantrum. "I don't want you to be hurt, honey."

"Let me up," I hissed, fighting the pain that was pulsing through my hand.

"I'm sorry, I can't," the girl said with a sad smile. "But this should all be over soon, so don't worry."

"No!" I shouted and tried to sit up so that I could knock her off me. The guy sighed heavily and all of a sudden I felt large hands force my shoulders down into the floor. I attempted to move, but couldn't.

"Be nice to her, Jasper," the girl warned.

"I'm not—"

"Alice, you need to go help Rosalie right now," another male voice, this one deeper, ordered from across the room. The tiny girl instantly got up from me and I didn't even hear her leave the living room. She was just that silent. "Jasper, please get Bella up on her feet. It's quite rude to have her pressed into the floor."

"Fine," the guy holding me said and then the pressure was gone from my shoulders. I rose as fast as I could and was about to bolt for the upstairs where I could hear the struggle between Edward and his now two attackers was, but before I took one step the guy had a hold of my good hand and pulled me into to him. He wrapped both his arms around my body, and, though he wasn't squeezing, I knew that there was no way that I was moving.

"Hello, Bella," the deep male voice addressed me as a figure stepped out from beside the couch. He looked to be in his early to late twenties, but that meant nothing. He had nice blonde hair and very masculine features. I opened my mouth to give him a very nasty response, but just then I caught sight of his eyes. They were a wonderful topaz color—just like Edward's. Something in me lurched as I realized that they were from my dream. He was the man that had tried to stop me from going inside my house.

"What are you?" I whispered against my better judgment, already having an idea; but not wanting to believe it.

"You know," the man said in a cheerless voice.

"You can't be a vamp—no, you're not," I muttered. I couldn't admit to it because if I did than that would mean that Edward was one, too, and that would also mean that he had—I clamped down on the thought before it had the chance to form completely.

"Oh, Bella," the man sighed as if my sudden denial of an obvious realization was breaking him up inside.

"Alice and Rosalie are coming," the guy holding me said without any emotion.

I whipped my head to the side to watch as the tiny girl and a beautiful blond girl carried Edward into the room. He was held firmly between the two of them and I noticed that blood was flowing from a few cuts on his face and he looked very beaten up. I moved in the guy's arms that had me, longing to comfort Edward. But I couldn't. The guy was as immovable as a mountain.

"Edward," I moaned softly and he stared at me with detached topaz eyes. I bit back a cry as the sight of them caused my previous and horrible thought to try and come back to my mind.

"Can I kill him now?" the blond asked with an eagerness that made the breakfast in my stomach move uncomfortably.

"No," the man, apparently the leader, snapped. "He needs to confess everything."

"I won't," Edward declared boldly. The blond slapped him up the side of his head.

"Do it, Edward," their leader demanded. "She has a right to know. You can't continue with what you've been doing. It's not right."

"No," Edward said and clamped his lips shut.

"Tell her right now, you scum," the blond hissed, twisting his arm until Edward cried out in pain.

"I…I…Bella?" Edward gazed at me with defeat.

"What?" I muttered in a voice that was hardly audible in the silent room. In the back of my mind it was registered that the five other people in the room weren't breathing; despite the fact that most of them had been in a struggle of sorts. This was added to the list of other things that I was forbidding to acknowledge.

"Remember what I told you outside?"

"Yes," I nodded briefly.

"And you promised to never forget, so please keep your promise," Edward said, his voice sounding tearful.

"I will," I alleged, though something in the pit of my stomach told me that I wouldn't.

"Oh, enough of this!" the blond growled. "Why don't you stop lying to the poor girl and tell her exactly who you are and what you do?"

Edward looked as if he was going to refuse again, but after a moment he must have decided against it because his body sagged in the girls' grasp and he hung his head as if in shame.

"I'm a vampire," he whispered, almost to the point that I couldn't hear him. But I did.

"No!" I gasped, my heart refusing to accept what my mind already knew to be true.

"Yes, and I'm a high ranking member of the Volturi. I was sent by Aro to Forks to get to know you and then allow him to capture you."

"Why?" I cried, my heart shattering into a million pieces as the weight of the truth pressed down on it. My stomach threatened to heave and bitter tears leaked from my eyes. I wouldn't have stopped them if I could.

"Because I owe a debt to Aro," Edward said, sounding ancient and full of remorse. To my wounded soul it was another lie to the many others that he had spun for me. "And unlike the other vampires in this room I wasn't able to resist his pull of power."

As if a switch had flipped suddenly, I went from being heartbroken to hateful with a burning passion that filled every fiber of my being. The tears didn't stop as I glared at him as I had never glared at another person before and hissed with a coldness that I wasn't sure that I possessed,

"I hate you."

"And you have every right to," Edward agreed, finally raising his head to lock gazes with mine. "But you prom—"

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Everything you told me was false. I can't believe I trusted you. I can't—I loved you. I fucking loved you, and it turns out it was the worst mistake of my life. How could you do this to me?"

"I didn't know you when I was forced to come here. But now that I do…I love you, Bella," Edward murmured. At that moment he was lucky that I was being held back by someone so strong or I would have leapt across the room and torn him limb from limb.

"Shut up, you worthless piece of shit!" I yelled.

"Oh no," Edward whimpered. "Bella, I need to explain—"

"Enough," the leader of the little group of other vampires interjected. "Rosalie, Alice, please get rid of Ed—"

"No!"Edward said with force and amazingly was able to slither his way out of the girls' hold on him. I guess the two were too focused on my mental breakdown to focus on the vile rat between them. He ran with lightning fast speed that caused him to be a blur to my eyes towards the front door. The two girls turned to follow after him, but were stopped.

"Let him go," their leader told them. "He can't do anything more."

"No doubt Aro will slaughter his ass for messing everything up," the blond sneered with glee. I didn't care how she spoke any more. There was no point in getting all worked up over it.

"Please let me go," I said to the guy holding me.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," he informed me.

"I'm fine," I lied. I wasn't sure what I was. So many emotions were fighting to take over my body that I couldn't think straight, but I didn't want him touching me anymore. He was a vampire. He was like Edward. The thought of his name made my stomach heave. "Let me go," I said frantically, knowing what was about to come.

"Do it," their leader ordered. The next moment the guy's arms were gone and I was in a hunched over position on the floor; spilling everything from my stomach onto the once beautiful carpet. When I was done I moaned softly, and crawled away from it and into a far corner away from the blinding sign of Edward's betrayal that was slowly staining the floor and the other vampires. I curled into a tight ball, and briefly prayed that the other dead, bloodsuckers in the room would leave. Leave me alone to shrivel up in the pain that I was too weak to fight.


	35. Eros' Little Arrows

**Hey! Thanks to all of you that reviewed my last chapter. I know this might be mean, but I loved writing it. It's always fun to ruin things going on in characters' lives, or at least I think so. I just might be a little insane that way. Anyways, I hope you all will like this chapter. I know its on the short side, and might not seem all that important, but it explains a few things. I love all you faithful fans and reviews make me incredibly happy, so do it, OK? Lol. **

The pain of Bella's words pulled at the cords of the non-beating heart harboring in Edward's stone chest, and the anger at himself for causing those words pressed down like a weight on his mind. It fueled him in the worst possible way as he flew like a bullet shot out of a gun down the corridors of Aro's bitter castle. He reached the thick, wooden door that blocked his master's chambers from view in a matter of seconds from the time that he had entered the massive compound, and stopped sharply.

"Let me in," Edward growled, sounding like a different man. A part of him was scared by the sudden change, but a larger part smacked that pitiful fear away. It was all his fault. He had no right to feel anything but loathing for what he had done to the only person that he had gotten close to since Emmett had been…since he had died years and years ago. Edward hated himself, hated how Bella had looked at him when all the love that they had shared over the past weeks had shattered right in her beautiful, tormented brown eyes. And that was the only thing that he deserved. Hatred.

"You've left your post," Jane gigged in a small girl's voice, her hair bobbing around her angelic face. "I guess Aro was right," she said to her brother, Alec. He nodded his head in agreement and a sickening smile played at his lips. Edward hissed at the old, yet young-in-appearance vampires. At this the two pint-sized guards broke into a fit of laughter that made Edward's eyes cloud over with deep red fury. He lunged at the nearest one, Jane, but she moved at the last moment and so he bounced off the brick wall instead. This caused them to laugh even harder.

"Little fucking asses," Edward muttered darkly as he straightened himself and brushed the dirt off his shirt. Neither one responded, they were too busy mimicking his stupid actions, so Edward kicked opened the door and hurled himself inside its dark depths. He marched in with all his emotions surging through his body, and he didn't care that he was being reckless. He didn't care that his behavior would most likely get him killed. All he wanted to do was take his frustrations out on the one person that had caused him so much grief.

"I very much liked that door," a voice snapped out, echoing around the shadowed room.

"You sent me there to hurt her on purpose," Edward roared, pointing his finger as he approached the ancient vampire that was lounging gracefully on a stuffed chair. Next to him stood a god with almost blindingly beautiful facial features and curly blonde hair. "What is Eros doing here?" Edward asked, glaring at the God of Desire a.k.a. Cupid.

"I wanted to see if our plan worked out," Eros replied, nodding his head in the direction of Aro as he spoke.

"Plan?" Edward spit.

"Yes, plan," Aro said with a clipped tone. "I've had it in the making for over seventy years now, and I am very proud to see that it's come to a nice, almost painfully easy conclusion."

"What?" Edward asked, losing his emotional state for a moment. Curiosity pulled at a deep pit of his stomach in an unsettling way.

"Bella was meant to spend the rest of her days with that shifter-thing by the name of Jacob," Eros replied with glee bouncing behind his every word. "My mother set it up a long time ago, one of the rare, predestined true loves that she makes, and one of the strongest. It took all I had to make Bella fall out of love with him."

"Yes, and then for the past few months he's been shooting his little 'love arrows' at you and Bella, and I see that the desired result has occurred," Aro grinned, the smile looking cruel and sinister across his withered face. "How does it feel?"

"I fell in love with Bella on my own account," Edward yelled, ignoring Aro's question.

"It might seem like that, but, no, I was the one to make you fall in love with that disgusting hybrid," Eros said, mirroring Aro's face. "And now, because of how long I've been influencing you, you can't un-love her. And vice versa. You'll always pine for the one thing that you can never have, at least not after your tragic and evil confession."

"Why would you do this?" Edward demanded.

"Just to teach you a little lesson, that's all," Aro shrugged, as if it was nothing. "And I think that it's gotten through."

"I won't help you kidnap her," Edward declared.

"I never thought that you would," Aro said. "I have many more reliable vampires that will be doing that task for me after she gets the Cronus Stone, which I know she will since Carlisle is with her."

"What if I stop them from retrieving the stone?" Edward threatened.

"Are you honestly willing to give your life for hers? For the coven that you betrayed?" Aro stipulated. "Why is Bella any different than Emmett, your blood brother? What makes her so special?"

"I…I—stop it!"Edward barked. "You messed with my head once before, but not this time. She isn't going to fall into your trap. Not if I have anything to do about it. I leave your service. I won't work for you any longer."

"Fine," Aro said with an almost bored tone. "No difference to me. I've grown tired of you and all your annoying whining. Go. Leave my castle and try to go back to your precious Bella. See how well she receives your presence…If you get past that fiery blond."

"She'll listen to me!" Edward said boldly, though he knew that that was a lie. Bella would never listen to him again. But he would do everything in his power to make her, or at least keep her safe from what Aro wanted to do to her.

"Dream on," Eros laughed. Edward made no reply as he turned on his heel and took off. He flew past the broken door and the two guards standing on either side of it.

"Bye, Edward," Jane hissed.

"See you later," Alec added with a knowing chuckle.

Edward moved on, not sure what he was going to do. He couldn't well go back to Bella. He knew that he would be killed the moment Rosalie sensed him, but he couldn't stay away. Not with the threat of Aro in the background. Edward loved Bella too much to leave her to face him alone. But what could he do?

"Nothing," Edward sobbed as he ran from the castle. "I'm usel_ess." _


	36. Carlisle's Tale

**All my fans, I am so sorry that it's taken me forever to put up this chapter. So much stuff has been happening with school and home life, and, actually, I got sad news today. My grandpa of eighty-six died. They had to take him off life support, and my mom is so very sad. I am, too. That man was incredible and I was his favorite grandchild. I'm going to miss you, Grandpa, and this chapter is dedicated to you. I love you and R.I. P. **

I heard, from a great distance away (almost another universe it seemed to my fuzzy hearing), the front door open and close with a sharp snap that vibrated the walls of the house. Those that I refused to acknowledge by name rustled a bit and I sensed that someone else was in the room with us, but I didn't look up from my spot on the floor. I buried my head even deeper into my legs, hinting that I wanted to be left alone. Whoever they were they could just go away, for forever the best option. I had spent a week lost in my agonizing misery and planned to spend the rest of eternity there.

All of a sudden something firm pressed against my arm, and I flinched away further into the corner.

"Bella?" a rough voice whispered. I didn't respond. "Bella, come back to yourself. Please? Don't leave me. I love you. I'm here for you."

I recognized the person. He was someone I knew would never lie to me and deep down, somewhere that was almost forgotten, I cared about him with every fiber of my being, but sadly my heart was gone. There was only a gaping hole in my chest where it had once been and I couldn't muster a reply to my best friend due to the gripping pain that that hole caused.

"He did this?" Jacob barked to the others around, I assumed. "I'll kill him," Jacob snarled to the silent answer one of them must have given him. "How could this have…Never mind. Here. Don't freak out," he said, and suddenly strong arms were lifting me up from my spot. I didn't struggle against Jacob as he placed me in his lab; my knees pressed against his rock hard chest. He wrapped me in a hug, and though I knew that he was warm I couldn't feel the heat past my first layer of skin. Everything inside me was cold, practically dead even.

We sat there like that, me engulfed in Jacob's enormous form, for what seemed like days. He didn't say anything, he didn't even move a muscle, and I was thankful for that. He was so thoughtful and amazing, and I wanted to open up to him, but it wasn't possible. My speaking would be entirely pointless. Words would never be able to describe what I felt. It was even beyond my mind's comprehension. I'd never felt betrayal and a broken soul like this before. It was on a whole new level that made my head spin if I thought about it too long.

I'm not sure what suddenly changed or why, but after such a long time in Jacob's embrace I started to sob uncontrollably. I nestled my head against Jacob's shoulder and through my tears all the pain that I had pinned away inside broke free like a dam bursting under the pressure of a great river. My sobbing turned to hysterical moaning and a lot of sniffling, all of which lasted for hours, I think. Time was irrelevant. I'd lost all sense of it the moment Edward shattered his own lies. Through it all my greatest friend in the world just allowed me to get it out without a single comment.

"You feel better?" Jacob murmured against my hair a long, long time later. I slightly shook my head.

"I don't think I ever will," I croaked out, my voice hoarse and low due to the crying and my not using it for a week. "Edward completely ruined everything inside of me, but I'm through keeping silent. I can't go on like that. It's not me. I…I won't let him have that kind of power over me."

"I'm so glad you finally came to that conclusion," Jacob sighed with relief. He gently placed a piece of my hair behind my ear. "You had me worried."

"I know, and I'm sorry," I said as I squeezed Jacob as tightly as I could. "I won't ever do that again. I promise."

"You just might," Jacob contradicted, "but I'll be there if you do. I won't ever leave you. I'll be the one constant in your life, I swear to you, Bella." He placed a warm kiss against my forehead and I choked back more tears that wanted to surface.

"Thank you," I mumbled. He nodded and then fell quiet. I took in a few deep breaths and afterwards turned around in Jacob's arms. I stared at the four vampires that were standing like statues on the other side of the living room. They all gazed back at me with blank expressions.

"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" I asked somewhat harshly, not caring if I was being rude. I know I shouldn't think that they were the reason for my crushing anguish, but I couldn't help it. I just wasn't to the point to where I could admit to myself that the truth would have come out with or without the four vampires coming into my life. They had just sped it along, and in a way I should thank them. Maybe one day I would.

The leader sighed and stepped forward.

"It's quite difficult to explain," he told me with sad sympathy radiating from his topaz eyes. "I'll have to start with the beginning: my birth. Have you ever heard of the Videmi epidemic?"

"Everyone has," I answered with a small shrug. I avoided looking into his eyes. I didn't need pity right now. I needed answers.

"Do you know why it happened?"

"No, I do not. No one ever told me."

"Well it happened because of a prophecy that was told shortly after Cronus was locked away by Zeus and his siblings. It told that one who is half vampire and half god will either release Cronus with the Cronus Stone or imprison him for all of eternity by destroying the stone. Aro, being one of the first to hear this prophecy, thought that the only way to create a hybrid was by biting a demigod, but as you know that didn't work out well," the leader, I think he might have been called Carlisle, explained. I nodded briefly. Well that answered the burning question of why Aro had injected his venom into all those poor kidnapped demigods.

"His first, failed attempts made him feel dejected and upset, and for many years he gave up on bringing a hybrid into existence. He started focusing on expanding the vampire race and teaching them to hate and terrorize the gods. But then someone, I'm not sure who (and trust me, I've spent many millennia searching for the person), told him that the only way to a hybrid was through birth. So Aro disguised himself, a trick that only a few vampires possess, and went on the hunt for a female goddess that would be willing to have random sex with him, and hopefully a child would be conceived. Around that same time Hera was fed up with Zeus and all his infidelity. Her jealously caused her decided that the only way to teach him a lesson was to do as he did. Unfortunately Aro and Hera met, and as a result of their union Hera got pregnant. I'm the product of their coupling."

My mouth fell open, but I snapped it shut. I didn't want to interrupt the vampire who supposedly was the only child Hera had had out of wedlock, something that was _almost_ unbelievable.

"I was raised on Mount Olympus, but not as Hera's son. That would have been disastrous, so she made up a story that some pathetic female demigod had left me and Hera had taken pity on my young soul like the saint that she was. Now I know that sounds awful, but, to be honest, my childhood wasn't bad. I was raised like a little prince and Hera always found time to spend with me, even if it was only for a few minutes." A small smile crossed the vampire's face as he reminisced of old memories. "I knew that Hera loved me though she couldn't honor me like Ares or Hephaestus, and I never asked for more. I adored her like no son has ever adored his mother, and I guess my half-brothers must have picked up on the special bond that Hera and I shared because they were always beating on me or taunting me.

"On the day of my seventeenth birthday I was to be coming into my own, finally transforming into an adult god as you will be soon. Hera had a splendid party planned out for me, but I was never able to attend. Ares and Hephaestus were fed up with my presence and wouldn't have been able to bear the thought of me being able to hold my own against them finally, so only an hour before my party they kidnapped me from my room and dragged me to the edge of Mount Olympus. There they beat me one last time before chucking me from the top. I landed at the bottom, broken and would-be-near death if I hadn't of been an adult god by then. I'm not exactly sure where I was, but somehow Aro was able to find me. He must have been waiting for something like that to happen to me, giving him the perfect opportunity to activate the vampire part of me."

"How did he do that?" I asked reluctantly. All that he was telling me was starting to make something awful bubble in the pit of my stomach. Carlisle was leading up to a conclusion that I definitely wasn't going to like.

"He bit me, Bella," Carlisle explained. "And then he just left me. I, of course, didn't know of his close relations with me, and I thought that I was going to die a horrible death like all those other demigods. The last thing I wanted to do before I died was say good-bye to Hera, so I crawled my way up Mount Olympus to the main gates. There I was greeted by Zeus. One look told me that Ares and Hephaestus had exposed their suspicions of my connection to Hera. I tried to tell him that I had no idea how Hera could be my mother, but he wouldn't hear it. Zeus dragged me all the way back to the main palace where Hera happened to be and forced her to watch him beat me to within an inch of my life. Then he hauled her away and all I can assume is that he did the same to her.

"Well even though I was in incredible pain, I got the notion in my head to take revenge on Zeus. I don't know how I did it, but I was able to haul myself into the next room where the Cronus Stone was and stole it. Then I made my way unseen back through the gates and down Mount Olympus. I collapsed at the bottom and passed out. When I woke up I was greeted by Rhea. She had found me and had taken me in. She explained why I wasn't dead from the vampire venom, that Aro was my father, and that she had taken the Cronus Stone and hidden it so that Aro would never be able to get his hands on it and condemn the world to hell. Rhea taught me to drink blood from animals and I passed that knowledge down to those that you see in this room."

"And others," the blond snipped from her part of the wall.

"Not now, Rosalie," Carlisle warned.

"And this all has what do with me, how?" I quizzed, praying that Carlisle wouldn't say what I knew deep down was going to be the answer.

"Bella, I hate to tell you this, but…you're like me," Carlisle said. "You're part vampire and part god."

"What?" Jacob cried, almost jumping to his feet in shock. The only thing that stopped him was my weight in his lap. "How is that possible?"

"Aro tried again, didn't he?" I spit, moving past astonishment to being pissed off. "He impregnated some poor, unsuspecting goddess and I was the ghastly result. No wonder why my mother never wanted me."

Carlisle nodded very slowly. "Yes," he finally murmured. "Yes, he did."

The other vampires turned to give him looks of shock and disbelief. I guess as their leader he didn't tell them everything. I wondered what else he kept from them.

"So who's my mother? Or don't you know?" I asked, biting out the words even though I didn't mean to.

"I can answer that," a cold voice called from the other side of the room. I looked over and saw my worst nightmare smiling at me with a sick grin plastered across her face.

"No, not you," I groaned, glaring.

"Oh, yes, Bella," Persephone said, walking farther into the living room. "And now I have my own little story to tell you."


	37. Finally Truth

**Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know that it's been FOREVER since I updated. I've been busy with four other fanfics that I hope you guys will like when I put them up, which should be in the coming months. I want to thank all of you that love this story and review on a regular basis. It is you that make me want to continue wit this, so kodos. Well enough of my dribbling. Like this chapter and review. :)**

"Well get on with it," I snapped at Persephone after she had situated herself on the couch.

"Manners, Bella. Where are they?" Persephone teased with a wag of her finger as she sat back into the cushions. She stretched slowly and gave me a Cheshire grin. "Now during my story you can't interrupt me or I will get very mad, smack you so hard that you'll see stars, and won't continue," she told me sweetly. "Does your small brain understand?"

"Whatever. Just tell me," I said, my anger already snapping out of my control. I didn't need her freaking annoying attitude right now. I just wanted the all important answer to the true identity of who my mother was; an answer I should have gotten many years ago.

"Promise me, Bella," Persephone said, her grin getting even bigger. "Or I won't tell."

"Fine. I promise that I won't interrupt," I reluctantly murmured, itching so bad to scratch her eyes out of her skull. But I clamped my hands together in my lap and bit my lip instead.

"That's better," Persephone said as if I were a slow child. "Now where should I begin with my tale? Oh, yes, I think at the beginning is best. Well a long, long, long time ago Zeus met a lovely human whore by the name of Leto, and, as you know, he couldn't keep his hands to himself so he did his best to get her to screw around with him. Since most mortal women can't resist Zeus's charms, and if they ever tried he would no doubt fry them to tiny bits, Leto fell in love with Zeus and after a few sexual escapades she got pregnant. As they all seem to do.

"Now Hera is no fool so she soon found out about what Zeus had done (once again) and got very pissed off. In her insane jealously, Hera stalked Leto all over the world during her nine months of pregnancy; harassing her whenever she got the chance. After months of it, Leto was extremely tired from her running and about ready to pop. All she wanted was a place to have her baby, but she was having a difficult time since no place in the world wanted to welcome her because they feared Hera's wrath. There was only one tiny island that agreed to give Leto shelter and it was Ortygia, or as it is now known as Asteria.

"Leto got a big shock on that island. She soon discovered that she wasn't just having one baby, but in fact she was pregnant with twins. But while she tried her hardest, Leto could not give birth. For nine days and nights she waited, but nothing happened because Hera wouldn't allow Eilithyia to go to Leto's side. All the other goddesses of Mount Olympus wanted to help Leto, because for some fucked up reason they were her friends, but they were too chicken to do so. Well after some time they couldn't take it anymore, so they finally sent Iris with a present for Hera to try and get her permission for the birth to take place. And Hera finally caved because the ridiculous piece of jewelry they gave her was enough to melt her ice cold heart.

"Right after that Eilithyia took off as fast as she could to Leto. When she got there she helped Leto deliver two adorable babies; one a boy and one a girl. And my, they were so sweet!" Persephone exclaimed dramatically. "I really do miss them as children. They were much more fun then."

"No," I whispered under my breath, but I was able to be heard since the entire room was silent. "My mother can't be Artemis. There's no fucking way."

"Oh, but there is," Persephone disagreed gleefully. "Isn't that right, Carlisle?"

"Yes, Bella, Aro did impregnate Artemis," Carlisle told me, avoiding the intense look that Persephone was giving him. "And you are their child."

"That's impossible," Jacob said from behind me.

"Oh? Why?" Persephone asked innocently, turning away from Carlisle to look at my best friend.

"She's a virgin goddess," Jacob said.

"No one stays a virgin forever," Persephone laughed harshly. "Not even precious Artemis. Once things get hot and heavy you can't stop. Trust someone that's had more than a hundred years of experience."

"But she can't be," I protested again. "She's been gone from Earth for almost two—"

"Thousand years," Persephone finished for me. She crossed her arms under her chest and leaned towards me. "And how old are you going to be, Bella? Oh, wait, two thousand. Hm…well let's put two and two together, shall we?" Persephone asked with a light twinkle to her acid filled words. "Artemis left all those years ago because she was ashamed of giving birth to you. Yes, Bella, it's your fault that she took off and hasn't been seen since then. She wanted nothing to do with you and was hoping that daddy dearest would get rid of you. But he didn't because my fucking mother had to go all nice and caring and take you in. You ruined Artemis's life. I wouldn't put it past her to hate your guts. Everyone else does. They might not know that Aro is your father, but that doesn't matter. You're the reason the twelfth god isn't here and why all the others are weak. You destroyed the Council of Power. How's that feel?"

"It is not her fault," Jacob roared, moving me from his lap to the floor in a movement so swift that I didn't notice until my ass was on the carpet. Jacob jumped to his feet and started for Persephone. "And I don't ever want to hear that again, you fucking cunt."

"I wouldn't piss me off I was you, small pup," Persephone said in a low tone. "I don't really care if you are Apollo's favorite dog toy. I'll kill you on the spot and dance in your cooling blood."

Jacob growled deep in his chest and continued towards her despite her warning. I quickly scrambled to my feet and sailed after him. I clung to Jacob's arm with both my hands, though the one that I'd used to hit the tiny vampire with wasn't completely healed yet and still hurt a lot. I tugged sharply to get his attention.

"Leave her alone," I practically begged.

"No, I won't, Bella," Jacob snarled, not looking at me. "This bitch needs to get knocked down a few pegs and I would love to be the one to do it."

"She's not worth it," I murmured. "You promised you'd never leave me. If she hurts you to the point of death than you'll have broken that promise," I said, knowing that I was hitting him below the belt, but it was the only way that I could think of at the moment to get him to stop.

Jacob stayed still for a few seconds longer before he sighed a little and nodded down at me.

"Better be glad Bella's here, bitch," Jacob spit dangerously at Persephone, who just yawned and rolled her eyes. Jacob ignored her as he turned around and pulled me back over to where we'd been before. He plopped down onto the floor and gently piled me into his lap.

"Such a cute, whipped puppy," Persephone cooed cruelly. She shook her head a couple of times and then stood up. "Well my good deed is done for the decade. I hope you'll keep what I revealed to you close to your heart, Bella. I really enjoyed getting that off my chest and I know that you really appreciate what I did for you. Well bye. Please feel free to drop dead sometime soon," Persephone said to me with a cheerful wave just before she disappeared with a deafening clang of noise.

"I fucking hate her," I growled into the silence that followed Persephone's disappearance.

"She's worse than you," the tiny vampire said to the gorgeous blond one.

"Yeah, and that's saying something," the blond nodded in agreement.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, wishing to put Persephone and what she had told me all behind me. Knowing that Artemis was my mother, surprisingly, didn't matter as much to me as I thought finding out who my mother was would. I guess it all made sense in a terrible way and there was nothing that I could do to change it. Persephone was right. Artemis probably did despise me (why else would she have left?), so there was no way that she was going to pop into my life anytime soon and start making up for thousands of years of parental neglect. Now that I knew the truth I could put my ridiculous hoping and wishing behind me and move on with more important things.

"Will you fulfill your destiny?" Carlisle asked me.

"What destiny?"

"You are the one who will ultimately decide with your actions whether or not Cronus rises once again and takes back his throne," Carlisle explained.

"I can't do that," I said, my stomach suddenly feeling sick. "It's too great of a decision, and I'm not known for making good ones. What if I do something wrong and he does get out of Tartarus and destroys the world? I can't deal with all that responsibility."

"I have faith in you," Carlisle said, not dazed by my lack of self-confidence. "And we will be here to help you," he opened his arms to indicate the three other vampires around him, "We've always been here for you, just in the background were you couldn't see us."

"And I'm here, too," Jacob said, linking his arms around me.

"But what about your pack?" I asked, knowing that it wouldn't be fair for him to leave them high and dry just because I was weak and needed him.

"Seth's been itching to have my leadership spot for a few years now," Jacob said with a tiny chuckle. "He can give it to him for awhile."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella," Jacob told me gruffly. "So stop trying to guilt me into leaving. It won't work."

"I'm sorry," I said, rubbing my hands up and down his arms. "I'm just scared. This is a lot to be dumped on my shoulders."

"I know that, Bella," Carlisle said, looking as if it was all his fault. "But if we can get this done by the time you turn seventeen than everything will be alright."

"Why by then?"

"Because that is the time that Aro is planning on kidnapping you and using you for the worst," Carlisle said.

"By biting me," I said, shuddering against the thought of the wrinkled vampire's face that close to my neck. "That'll make it so that I can only bring Cronus back, right?"

"That's what I believe," Carlisle nodded.

"Alright, well I won't let that happen," I declared, making up my mind. I had to do this if I was the only one that could. I might not like my family and all the humans in the world, but I don't want them all dead or enslaved, either. That's just not right. "What do I have to do?"

"First we must get a hold of the Cronus Stone," Carlisle said. "And I know exactly where it is."

"Let me get a shower and changed before we go, OK?" I asked, prying Jacob's arms apart and standing up.

"And we have to get breakfast," Jacob added.

"Yes, we'll get breakfast," I said with a tiny smile on my lips. "We can't forget about that."


	38. Chapter 38

I'm sorry to say that I will be putting up no more chapters. It's not that I'm ending the story. I could never do that. No, it's just that I've noticed that there are many gaping holes in my story that really need to be filled. I don't like reading stories that feel incomplete, and I don't want to write one that feels like that either. With this in mind I must say that I'm revising the story to make it better and to explain things that should have be explained from the beginning, but I honestly didn't think of them until it was too late.

I hope that this doesn't upset you guys and I also hope that all of you that have read the story so far will go back and read the revised version because I promise that you will like it as much as the original. Things won't be exactly the same, I know that much, but they won't be so different that it's another story altogether.

Sorry that it's taken this long to write this and I hope to get some of the revised story up by the middle of July, if not sooner. Please don't give up on this story.


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